Kept
by TeaSippinSpirit
Summary: A/B/O dynamics. Yurio is sent to an Omega House, where he'll train to be a true Omega, on his 16th birthday, but when he catches the eye of a powerful Omega and his Alpha, things begin to change quickly.
1. Chapter 1- Reaping Day

Yuri didn't cry when he was taken from his family. They had known it would happen one day, and although his family loved him, they had prepared him for this.

The day they came for him was just after his 16th birthday. His mother had whimpered as he packed his few belongings that he was allowed, but his grandfather had wrapped strong arms around her and nodded to their son.

"Stay strong, Yurio." His father's words were familiar. A mantra they had set for him since before he could remember. Stay strong and stay alive. That was his task. As an Omega, he had always been doomed for a life of servitude; it was the way of the world. And though there was nothing they could do to stop the reaping, his parents could raise him to be strong, courageous, and clever.

So he didn't cry as he was practically thrown onto the bus with all the other Omegas coming of age in their village. The other boys, aged 14-17, were all in various stages of tears around him; some sobbing loudly, some sniffling silently.

He didn't bother speaking to anyone. He knew it wouldn't make any difference if he made friends. Their lots in life were to serve Alpha's. Not become friends with each other. So as the older boys began shushing and comforting the younger boys, Yuri kept his face glued to the window.

The boys, 12 in total, were shuttled to an Omega House that their village was known for, as a gimmick to pull in business. It wasn't actually understood why their village had so many Omegas, but it's something they were famous for.

They pulled up to the large building, and were herded out of the bus, forming a semi-circle around the entrance. The building was massive; set up like a dormitory, it had countless windows all with sturdy iron bars bolted into the solid grey brick that made up the walls.

Yuri watched as the large oak doors opened and a young man walks out, speaking into his phone quickly before hanging up and looking at them all with critical eyes.

"Come now come now, stop your blubbering." The man scowled with obvious annoyance. "My name is Dmitry and I'm going to be your caregiver. My job is to make sure that you're all presentable and healthy." He took a moment, looking at the state of the boys, tsking as he shook his head. "Once you are presentable, you will be sent to classes. In these classes you will learn how to walk, talk, and act like a true Salsk Omega."

Yuri could feel the tension rising in his peers as Dmitry spoke, pacing back and forth and looking them all up and down like they were meat for sale. Which, Yuri guessed, they kind of were at this point.

"You will all be assessed in one week's time. On that day, it will be determined if you are suitable for the Salsk Omega House or if you will be taken to Saint Petersburg and sold to a House there."

The boys all gasped at the words. Dmitry didn't say it threateningly, more matter-of-factly; which was even more terrifying. Saint Petersburg Houses had reputations for bad quality of life. They were the Houses people went to if they had little money, so the Omega's were often sickly, underfed, hardly bathed, and more often than was humane—found dead in their cells.

Yuri set his jaw, looking directly at Dmitry with confidence plastered in his body language. This is what he was raised for. His lot in life was lowest of the low, but by God it did not have to be the worst case scenario. Salsk Omega's were quality specimens. People traveled from all over the world to buy them, and often paid good money. The Omega's lives could often be very well off.

That was his goal. Learn everything he could from this House, do exactly as he was told, and carve out the best life he could.

"Now when I call your name, you are to follow Zakhar." He motioned to a man on his right and then continued. "You do not speak. You do not disobey, and above all," He paused here, obviously for emphasis, "you do not, under any circumstances, stare." Yuri almost rolled his eyes. Drama queen.

Dmitry let the weight of his words sink in before pulling out a piece of paper and reading out the first name.

"Yefim." He called out loudly.

An older boy stood forward and followed Zakhar inside, Dmitry closing the oak doors behind them. He didn't make a point to come back down the porch to the boys, choosing instead to pull his phone back out and make another call.

It's at least 10 minutes before the doors open again, Zakhar standing silently as Dmitry pulls the list back out and calls "Makar."

By the time Yuri's name was called, there were only 5 of them left outside. He took a deep breath and stood from his seat on the ground, dusted himself off and walked confidently up the stairs to the porch and inside, followed closely by Zakhar.

"This way." The man's voice was deep and raspy, but not unkind. He made no eye contact and instead just walked down the hall to the left of the entrance.

The inside of the large building was grand. It looked more like a fancy hotel lobby instead of an Omega House. The floors were white marble with gold and blue swirls, and were so shiny that Yuri thought it might be wet. The walls were wallpapered in the same dark blue as the swirls with swirly accents of gold to match. Despite the dark colors, the air was light and gave off a feel of comfort and warmth as well as space.

Yuri walked closely behind Zakhar and found himself staring at the multitudes of pictures that framed the walls. All of the pictures were of very handsome Alphas, all seemingly related to go by the silver hair and pale, sharp features.

"Through here."

The raspy voice shook him out of his curiosity of the pictures, and he jogged slightly to catch back up to Zakhar. The man was standing at a door, and as Yuri caught up to him, he opened it, motioning for Yuri to go in.

"Remember. Do not speak, do not disobey and do not stare."

Yuri nodded and walked into the darkened room, taking a deep breath as the door closed behind him. He walked cautiously further in, with no invitation and stopped when he reached what he judged to be the center.

It was silent. Yuri could hear his own breathing and his heart pounding evenly, though a little quick. He began looking around the room, turning his head this way and that when he finally heard a silky voice ring through the dark space.

"Face the door."

He gulped, gasping slightly at the shock of the words, but he immediately obeyed, turning around and facing the door that he had just walked through. He could hear soft footsteps come near him and he cast his eyes downward, determined not to stare.

"Head up."

He lifted his head, fixing his eyes on a spot on the wall, still determined not to disobey or stare.

He felt hands on his shoulders, squeezing and prodding. The grip moved down his arms and then lifted them. Yuri held them out obediently, still fixing on his spot on the wall.

"Mmm." The voice said, and he heard as the man stepped to the side. He felt his eyes draw sideward, his head turning slightly of it's own accord.

He didn't even have a chance to scold himself into looking back to the wall when his eyes linked with dark blue ones. His mouth fell open and a small gasp escaped his throat.

The man was beautiful. Yuri couldn't even describe how devastatingly good-looking he was. Thin, sharp features, milky pale skin, silky silver hair that parted down the side and hid part of his face. He needed to look away. He wasn't supposed to stare, but he couldn't bring himself to stop.

The man moved his hand up to his jaw in a thinking gesture and pursed his beautiful plump lips into a thin line. "Close your mouth." He said in the same demanding, but not unkind tone as before. Yuri obeyed, but couldn't help the helpless gaze that continued.

The man's lips made the slightest hint at a smile, just at the corners, before putting his hand back down and walking back behind Yuri again. Yuri was immediately released from the spell, his eyes blinking and fixing back on the spot on the wall. God he had three rules…only three! And he had broken the most important one!

The man moved back into Yuri's line of vision, but this time, Yuri stayed fixed on the spot. He could see the man looking him up and down, up and down before a soft humming sound came from behind him and the man looked to a point over Yuri's shoulder.

"Okiniiri?"

Yuri heard a second set of footsteps move up to him and he stilled as the new person lowered his arms and pressed his face against Yuri's neck and right into his scent glands. The motion was unexpected and Yuri felt as a second gasp was torn from his lungs.

"He smells good." The second man purred, and once again, Yuri found himself peeking from a side glance and then a full blown stare at the second man.

He was shorter than the first man, dark black hair and brilliantly bright brown eyes. And so beautiful that Yuri almost whimpered. He shut his mouth suddenly, and snapped his head back so that he was facing the spot on the wall again. DAMNIT! He'd done it again!

He bit his lip when the second man pressed his nose back to his scent gland, but he fought to keep his eyes straight ahead.

"Come now, Yuuri, don't frighten the poor boy." The second man whimpered and pulled away. It took much too long for Yuri to realize that the second man obviously shared a name with him. That was interesting.

"What is your name?" The first man asked, staring intently at Yuri's face. He kept his gaze fixed at the wall as he spoke.

"Yuri Plisetsky, sir." He said, happy that his voice didn't tremble.

"Did you hear that, Okiniiri? He has an easy to remember name." The other Yuuri hummed and pressed his nose back to Yuri's neck, the opposite side of his scent gland this time. He pawed gently at Yuri's arm and Yuri felt himself sway slightly, his head turning gently to inhale the other's scent.

Yuuri smelled—really good. Sweet and comforting. The aroma had started out small, but as he continued his pawing and petting, it became stronger.

"Yuuri…" There was a warning tone to the words and both Yuri's pulled away from the touch, Yuri snapping his eyes back to his spot and Yuuri backing away slowly.

"Age." The man continued, circling Yuri now as he still looked him up and down.

"Sixteen." The other Yuuri mewled, but did not touch him.

"And you're from Salsk?"

"Yes."

"Hmm." The man said again. Yuri felt his heart still racing as the room fell silent again. He could feel both sets of eyes still on him; his skin felt tingly where Yuuri had touched him and he fought the urge to shiver.

The man sighed after a long moment and walked back around to where he was in front of Yuri. He reached up his hand and took the younger boys jaw, forcing him to look at him. Yuri felt his mouth open again, but quickly shut it. The man grinned.

"Tell Zakhar top floor. Room 12." He released Yuri's chin, the skin tingling there as well as where Yuuri had touched him now. Yuri nodded, walking as quickly to the door and opening it as fast as he could manage.

"Top floor. Room 12." He said confidently, when Zakhar stared at him.

"Room 12?" the man confirmed.

Yuri nodded and took a deep breath. "Yes, Top floor Room 12. It's what he—the man, said."

Zakhar looked at him for a long moment before stepping beside him and entering the room, shutting the door behind him. He was back out in just a minute and he nodded for Yuri to follow him.

Victor sat down in his chair, swiveling around to face out the wall of windows that was directly behind his desk. He heard as Zakhar closed the door behind him and then he sighed loudly.

"Yuuri…" His voice wasn't threatening this time, but the name was drawn out more like a question. The Japanese man sat down at his feet, face nuzzling into his pants as Victor let his fingers play with the soft black locks. "Are you getting lonely, pet?"

Yuuri nuzzled deeper, pawing at the material of his pants before shaking his head gently. "No, Alpha."

Victor eyed him. "Then what was that?" He jerked a thumb towards the door, obviously meaning the display the Omega had just put on with the blond boy.

Yuuri whimpered but shrugged. "I—I don't—He smelled so good." He said a little in awe.

Victor shook his head, chuckling softly. "A lot of the omegas smell good. You've never shown interest before." Victor's voice was silk and calm, his hand petting gently at Yuuri's hair.

Yuuri purred at the motion and nodded. "He smelled _really_ good." Unfortunately, Yuuri was completely unable to put into words why he had fallen apart over the blond omega. All he knew was that the blond had walked in, Alpha had been circling him as always and then Yuuri was hit by the overpowering scent of the younger omega.

"The things I do for you." Victor sighed with a smile, petting the claiming mark just below Yuuri's ear. "Go up there after we're done and explain things to him. I don't want him terrified."

Yuuri leaned into the touch of his mark and whimpered softly. "I could go now if you wished."

Victor shook his head. "No, stay here. Give him a bit of time on his own." He smiled down at his beautiful omega and then turned his chair back around to the desk. "No more pets though." He said firmly. And Yuuri nodded, smiling mischievously at himself.

Yuri gasped slowly as he was pushed into room 12 of the top floor. It was absolutely massive. The walls were covered in white wallpaper, the floors were the same marble from downstairs and the giant bay window that stood opposite the door, looked out over the beautiful grounds.

There was a king sized bed with the fluffiest pillows he had ever seen. The furniture all matched—white painted wood and large despite how small it all looked compared to the giant room. Across from the bed was an enormous fire place, and two comfy looking chairs with a small table set up between them. There was a small chest at the foot of the bed and a door just beside the head of the bed.

For some reason he had imagined that the dorms would be small; tiny really; with two small beds, two small desks, and one small window per room. He had not expected this. He wasn't sure if he was expected to share the room, or if it was all for him, because it was definitely big enough for more than one person, but still only one bed—even though it was gigantic.

He walked over to the window and looked out. Beautiful green hills ran straight back into a grove of trees. There were several gardens spread throughout the land and he could see as lines of boys walked single file through them, led by a slightly bigger figure; obviously the care giver.

Honestly if this is what he had to look forward to for the next few years, then he was certain it wouldn't be so bad. He walked over to the chairs by the fire and sat down in one. It was big and squishy and he had barely sighed in contentment when he fell into a happy sleep.

He felt as though he had just closed his eyes when he was being gently shaken awake.

"Yuri…" The voice was soft, familiar and there was something calm about it. Yuri let his eyes flutter open slowly and he stretched and yawned before shaking the sleep away and blinking Yuuri into focus. He let out a yelp and jumped backwards, falling out of the chair and onto his ass on the hard floor.

"Yu—Yu-what are you doing here?" he asked rubbing his ass gingerly.

Yuuri laughed and shook his head. "I'm here to tell you what you're doing here." He said casually.

Yuri stood, cracking his back and groaning as the loud crack sounded in the room. "I already know. I'm going to be trained to be a Salsk Omega."

Yuuri shook his head, grinning. "Nope! Alpha is giving you to me."

He was hit by several questions at once. _Why would and omega want another omega? Why would an Alpha give his omega an omega? And why would Yuuri possibly want him anyway?_

He doesn't ask the questions, however. Instead he just stands there, staring at the beautiful older man and wincing in concentration every now and then. Yuuri giggles and shakes his head, pulling Yuri over to the large bed and flopping down on it, pulling the blond with him and pawing at his shirt gently.

Being so close to the other man, smelling him, inhaling him so completely is disorientating. Yuri has never been the touchy feely type, which was odd for an omega, but there it was. But Yuuri—his touch was soft, and comforting. It made Yuri feel like he'd been touching him all his life, like he had been missing something this whole time, and touching Yuuri was the missing thing.

His breathing calmed as he stared into the bright brown orbs and he felt a lazy happy sedating fall over him.

"Victor is a good Alpha, you'll like him." Yuuri's voice was thick, and slow. It seemed that whatever haze was falling over Yuri, was affecting the older omega as well. But it was so undeniably pleasurable, that neither of them seemed to care.

Yuri's stomach felt like it was going to burst with butterflies, every time the older man's hands scratched gently along his shirt clad chest as he pulled and kneaded the shirt.

"Alpha…" Yuri said with barely a hint of a question. He knew he was confused, but he couldn't really bring himself to care. Things would work themselves out, as long as he stayed close to Yuuri, things could be as confusing as they wanted to be.

Yuuri nodded, moving closer and entangling their legs together. "Victor. Alpha. He's going to let you be part of our pack." The words are slow and absolutely impossible to understand. Yuuri smells amazing and all Yuri can think of doing is leaning in and rubbing his face in his scent glands.

"You'll have a trial run. To see if we like you. And then he'll claim you." Each sentence was slow moving, and separated by deep inhalation.

Yuri nodded leisurely as he finally gave in and pressed his nose against the older omega's neck. He groaned happily as he drew in the sweet scent pouring from the omega.

Yuuri gasped at the move and moaned gently at the sound of approval from the younger boy. He pulled him closer, pressing their foreheads together and closing his eyes with a sigh.

Victor wasn't sure what he had expected, but it certainly wasn't this. He opened the door to their room and was almost knocked down by the overwhelming smell of content omega. It was sweet and flooded his senses. He staggered over to the bed and panted, reaching down and scooping up his omega to pull the two apart.

Both parties whined in disapproval; reaching for each other, desperately trying to maintain contact.

"I know, I'm sorry." He cooed gently, pressing a kiss to Yuuri's temple. "But you two are going to attract every Alpha in the city with that scent." He panted gently, the content smell giving way to a quick burst of unease before settling back down to a normal scent.

Yuuri whined softly as he curled into Victor's body and the Alpha chuckled, pressing more kisses to Yuuri's temple before the omega was sighing happily.

"Did you tell our guest what I told you to?" Victor asked, nosing Yuuri's scent glands. The omega nodded, stretching and yawning happily before blinking awake completely.

Yuri was still on the bed, arms fallen where they had been reaching for the older omega. He seemed dazed and a little nervous now that the content haze had been broken.

Victor looked at the young omega and smiled, shaking his head. "Yuri, do you understand what you're doing here?"

Yuri nodded his head, and then shook it half way through. Victor grinned.

"My Yuuri, here, took a liking to you downstairs. And I am not one to deny my omegas of anything I can give them should they desire it. So we're going to spend a week with you, see if you're a good fit for our pack and then we'll see how it goes from there. "

Yuri nodded slowly, still so confused. He was supposed to be learning how to be a top rate Omega; preparing to be sold to the highest buyer in a few years, being coached on how to keep his Alpha happy—but this?

Victor stared at him, quietly demanding the truth. Yuri bit his lip. "I understand I just—aren't I supposed to train to be an omega? A good omega?" Victor grinned broader.

"You seem to have good instincts." He said with an approving nod. "And anything else, Yuuri can teach you. If we decide you're not a good fit, then you'll go into classes like the rest of the boys. If you are a good fit, then I think we can work around any mishaps."

Yuri gave an inaudible mewl. Victor's gaze was tearing through him like butter, and he felt hot all of a sudden. He broke eye contact and panted gently. His heart was racing and he couldn't figure out what he was feeling.

His breathing slowed as he felt the cool hands of the Alpha on his forehead, and he leaned into the touch with a soft moan.

"There's a good boy, calm down." Victor teemed gently. Yuri sighed and Victor pressed his other hand to his cheek. The feel was absolute magic. Yuri had never been touched by and Alpha before. His body seemed to vibrate and he could feel every fiber of his being screaming _Yes. Submit_.

His body did calm down, but his heart kept racing. He willed it to stop, begged it to stop, but until Victor stopped touching him, that wasn't likely going to happen. Victor didn't seem to mind though. Instead of making the demand to 'calm down' again, the Alpha leaned forward and pressed a feather light kiss to Yuri's forehead.

It was electric.

Yuri gasped at the feel and then smiled gently as he looked at the devastatingly handsome Alpha. He felt like he would do absolutely anything for Victor. The Alpha was his anchor to the world, he and Yuuri were the only things tying him to the planet and it was terrifying and so wonderful.

"Vitya," Yuuri said gently, pulling the Alpha away and causing Yuri to whine again. "You don't know the effect you have. You're going to send him into heat if you keep that up."

Yuri whimpered and reached for both of them; comfort and passion. He just wanted to be with them, surround himself with them, scent with them. They both took one of his hands and it was Victor who spoke next.

"I'm going to get us some dinner. Yuuri, why don't you take our little Yurio outside for some fresh air?"

Yuri wasn't sure he could actually stand. He was so overwhelmed, so incredibly—he didn't even have words. It was just out of sorts. He whined as he felt Victor pull away but the sound of the door shutting behind the Alpha seemed to snap him out of it.

He shook his head and breathed; deep calming breaths.

"Come on, Yurio. I'll show you the gardens."


	2. Chapter 2- Learning the Ropes

Chapter 2

Yuri's body tingled all over as Yuuri snaked his arms around him, pulling him close and letting their scents mingle. He tried desperately not to moan as the now familiar feel of comfort and warm set over him. He had never realized how nice it was to be held by another omega. When he first came to the House he had thought perhaps he just liked human contact, but as Yuuri began training him and giving him books to read, he found that omegas really enjoyed the embrace of another omega.

Neither of his parents were omegas, and his sixteen years with his family had never taught him the comfort of hugs or touches. Not because his family was mean, but because they were practical. If he had grown up learning to touch and be touched, and then found himself in a house where touching was scarce, it would only make his life more difficult. It was far easier for them to limit contact with him so that he was prepared for whatever may come.

It had been two days since his arrival to the House. Two days of hot delicious meals, two days of being allowed to wander through the gardens with Yuuri, two days of growing closer to the omega and growing curious about the Alpha.

He smiled as Yuuri pulled him closer and he sighed softly, letting his own hands wrap around the older omega's body in turn.

"Do I have to separate you too?" Victor's voice was sleepy and calm, but it boomed through Yuri's mind as a very clear threat. He had learned that Victor didn't seem to like them holding each other for too long. The two would become so content that their scents would bloom into an unstoppable force, and at first Victor had said it would attract other Alpha's, but Yuri wondered if maybe the Alpha simply didn't like him.

One of Yuri's new books had said that often large packs with several omegas would find at least one of the omegas out of favor with the Alpha. This is where the biology of omegas enjoying each other's company came into play. With the Alpha obviously unhappy with them, the omega could easily slip into despair and stop eating. This would make the omega weak and susceptible to a number of dangers including starvation, or illness. Having pleasure in another omega's embrace eased the heartbreak of not pleasing the Alpha.

"I'm serious, boys, the scent is…" Victor's words trailed off and Yuuri untangled himself from Yuri, giving him a sad smile before letting his eyes close again.

The first night he shared with the two older men had been wonderful. Victor hadn't touched him beyond the soft kiss to his forehead, but he could smell the contentment from both Victor and Yuuri as the three lay squashed together on the large bed.

Victor had been affectionate and kind to him that night, but Yuri saw an immediate change the next morning. Yuri had fallen asleep between the two older men, but had woken up to Victor having moved to the other side. The small kissing sounds between the other Omega and the Alpha had woken him, and he had grinned, waiting patiently until it would be his turn.

When Yuuri realized he was awake, he had turned onto his back and pulled Yuri close, pressing gentle morning kisses to his lips. Yuri had sighed in content as they trailed off, but when he leaned over Yuuri's body to reach the Alpha, Victor had smiled and ran a hand through Yuri's hair before getting out of bed and announcing he needed to get ready for the day.

It had struck Yuri as odd, but Yuuri didn't seem to be phased. So he tried to push the doubt from his mind. And he would probably have succeeded had it not been for the Alpha's growing distance from then on.

He was not unkind to Yuri, not at all. But to say that he was nice to him would be an overstatement. Yuuri was so open with Yuri, always touching, always smiling, and always leaning close to smell. But Victor was different. He kept his distance, hardly smiled except at Yuuri, and seemed to get uptight if Yuri ever spoke to him directly, though he would reply, his answers were always short.

Now Yuri was faced with the overwhelming evidence that perhaps Victor didn't like him. Yuuri had told him that Victor had offered the trial run for Yuuri's sake. Yuuri was the one who liked him, and Victor was kind to his omega and wanted him to be happy.

Yuri took a deep breath and shook his head. He had no right to complain. He was at one of the best Omega Houses in the entire country. Even if Victor decided that he didn't want another omega, he would still be treated well and trained to be a true Omega; eventually being sold to a rich Alpha or pack and then having to adjust to them, but it still could have been so much worse.

For now, he was in a comfortable bed, surrounded by the sweet smell of Yuuri and the unmistakably powerful scent of Victor. He was happy, yes, but he had been taught never to get too comfortable. Don't get too attached to anyone who hasn't mated you, and even then, always be aware that things could change in an instant. Such was the life of an omega.

He felt his lip tremble at the thought of having to leave Yuuri. Sixteen years of preparation seeming to come undone in two days. It was absolute torture thinking about being apart from him, and, even though he hardly dared to let himself think about it, Victor too.

Yuuri poked him and Yuri jolted a little in surprise. The older omega had a questioning look on his face. He could smell the anxiety on the blond, but Yuri shook his head and smiled, lacing his fingers with Yuuri's happily. He wouldn't think about the future right now. He'd be prepared after his trial week to go back with the other boys, but for now he'd live in the moment.

Both omegas jumped a bit at the sound of Victor's growl. The man shoved the covers off of him and then shoved himself out of the bed, huffing as he padded into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Yuri blushed, unlacing his fingers gently and looking away from the calm brown eyes. Yuuri smiled, and brushed stray hairs from his face and then pressed a kiss to his lips.

"What's wrong, kitten?" He asked smoothly, stroking calm fingers through the soft blond locks.

Yuri forced a smile and shook his head. "Nothing. Everything's perfect." He managed to make the words sound sincere, but there was no way to quell the scent of unease pouring off of him.

"Do we make you uncomfortable?" Yuuri asked gently.

Yuri shook his head furiously, moving closer to Yuuri. "No of course not! I just—Victor doesn't seem to…"

Yuuri shook his head and petted the blond gently, soothingly. "It's not what you think, kitten." His voice was gentle and calm. "He's taking his frustration out on you, but I promise it has nothing to do with you."

Yuri chewed his bottom lip. Even if that were true, it wouldn't change the fact that Victor would see him associated with whatever his frustration was. And that would likely lead to the decision to not keep him. He hated that he was worried about it. He should just resign himself to it. Think of it as _'when he decides that Yuri isn't a good fit'_ vs. _'if he decides…'_

When Victor came out of the bathroom, the omegas dropped their hands and Yuuri grinned. He must have enjoyed this—messing with Victor by mingling their scents and clearly making him uncomfortable. Yuri was a little less so. He didn't want to anger the Alpha at all, especially if he was taking his frustrations out on him.

"You boys want breakfast?"

/

"Now that it's Monday, Trial Week is beginning." Yuuri explained as he dropped a stack of books in front of Yuri. They had moved to the library after breakfast, where Yuuri had decided to begin their lessons.

"Trial Week is where all of the omegas that came in over the weekend are put through minor classes and taught basics. On Friday they go through a test to gage their natural abilities, their aptitude to learn and their willingness to behave as an Omega."

Yuri nodded. He was vaguely aware of what lay ahead of him, but hung off of Yuuri's every word as if it were life giving.

"Even though you're with us, you'll still need to know the basics. So I'm going to tutor you this week, and then on Friday you'll take the test with everyone else. Victor will let you know if we've accepted you into our pack after the test."

Yuri nodded again as he watched the brunette set down more books. How could they possibly be expected to get through all of these in one week? It was insane! Not to mention why on Earth were there so many? How much did Omegas need to know?

"If you decide to become part of our pack, then you'll continue lessons with me." Yuuri smiled and sat down next to the blond, snaking his arm through his and pulling him close. Yuri blushed, but leaned into the touch, inhaling Yuuri's scent and sighing in appreciation.

"What happens if Victor doesn't accept me?" He asks a little nervously. He intentionally implied that Yuuri wouldn't be the one to turn him away. He wanted to come off as confident and not completely needy.

Yuuri purred, pressing his nose against Yuri's sensitive scent glands. "He will." He hummed softly. They stayed together for a long moment before Yuuri finally pulled away and took a deep breath.

"But if you don't become part of our pack, for whatever reason, then you'll be sent into classes with the rest of the Omegas."

Yuri nodded again and then blurted, "What if I don't pass the test?"

Yuuri laughed out loud. The sound made Yuri jump slightly and he couldn't help a soft smile playing at his lips as the older man continued. When Yuuri finally settled down he ran a hand through Yuri's hair and grinned.

"You already have the natural ability, and I'm an excellent Omega, so you'll have the tools you need. You'll pass."

For some reason this actually comforted Yuri. He knew he was quick to learn things, and he was absolutely willing to obey and become a true Omega, but he had wondered about the natural ability part. Victor had said he had good instincts, but since then he had wondered more than once if the Alpha's kind words had been sincere or if they were simply an effect of the scent that he had walked into.

He shook the thoughts from his mind and focused on Yuuri as the Omega stood up and grabbed a book from the top of the pile he had made.

"First things first," He said, clearing his throat, "The Alpha/Omega relationship."

Yuri paid attention to every single thing Yuuri read. He took notes and asked questions, eventually feeling like he understood the relationship from the textbook point of view—though he wasn't so sure about the reality.

Alphas were the strongest of everyone. Together, they made up nearly 1/4 of the Earth's population and were typically suited for positions of power and importance. Alphas had scent glands and would use these to attract mates as well as repel threats. They were typically large build and very strong especially when they were in a rut.

Betas were the next in the line of strength. They were considerably less powerful than an Alpha, though due to not having scent glands or being able to smell scent as well as the others, they had more control over their bodies. This tended to make them perfect for positions of importance under an Alpha. They were not prone to going into a rut and therefore were considered perfect for second hand men. They made up 2/4ths of the population.

Omegas. Considered among many to be the least powerful of all three genders, they were typically overlooked when it came to seats of power or importance; though Yuuri was very careful to point out that Omegas were not to be underestimated. Strong? No. But powerful? Yes. Omegas were the only ones who could control and Alpha. An Alpha ruled the people while their Omega ruled them. It was in the nature of an Alpha to protect and defend. If an Omega could control their scent properly, then it was very possible to sway things in their favor.

Yuri had trouble with this thought. He could see how it could make sense, but if it were true then why were Omegas treated so badly in most parts of the world?

"You're getting your information from conditions of Omega Houses, Yurio." Yuuri said in response. "It's true that the Houses can be terrible, but the bad ones are always run by Betas. And Betas can't be swayed with scent. There are actually more good quality Houses than there are bad."

"Okay…but someone could tighten laws about Houses. Force fresh food and water. Clean clothes and warm beds."

Yuuri nodded. "Yes, but it's becoming more and more common for Alphas to get Omegas from good houses. The quality of the bad ones are being forced to improve due to the demand of healthy clean Omegas. Anyway we're getting off the point."

Yuri chewed his lip again. He wanted to talk about conditions more because he was still a little scared that he wouldn't pass the test or be asked to be part of the pack and he'd have to be shipped off to Saint Petersburg. But he let Yuuri move on, just the same.

They spent most of the day in the library. Yuuri really was a smart Omega. He was knowledgeable enough to answer most of his questions, and since he had one of the most powerful Alphas in Russia it stood to reason that he was well practiced in the art of being an omega.

They had moved on to using scent by the time Yuuri's phone rang. He had apologized but took the call and mumbled into it before announcing that Victor demanded they come up and get some food. They had missed lunch, though Yuuri had a tray of snacks sent down, but Victor didn't like it when Yuuri skipped full meals.

As they walked upstairs, Yuri continued with a few questions.

"So if you wanted, you could make Victor do whatever you want?"

Yuuri chuckled and shook his head. "Not _whatever_ I want. But most things, yes."

"Can—can you show me?" Yuri asked softly. He didn't want to insult the other omega, but he honestly didn't believe him either. It was so wild to think that an Alpha would do most anything for an Omega—lowest of the low.

Yuuri grinned though. "What did you have in mind?" He asked cocking his head.

Yuri smiled. "Something small." Yuuri nodded, pressing his lips together in thought as they continued to climb the stairs.

"How about, whatever they're serving for lunch, we have him send it back and have something else made?" Yuuri asked with a mischievous grin.

Yuri's smiled widened. "Okay! We could ask for something silly, like grilled cheese or peanut butter and jelly."

Yuuri nodded once. "Yes. Okay so whatever they're serving I'll make Victor return it and have us sent Grilled cheese and PB&J."

The thought made Yuri giggle. It was tiny, but if Yuuri could really do it, then that opened up a whole new world for him.

As they reached the main floor, a little out of breath but no worse for wear, they were brought into the room where Zakhar had first brought Yuri. It was Victor's office and during the week Yuuri and Victor would eat there mostly. Victor was always working, but he couldn't really stand to be away from his omega for too long either. So if Yuuri had nothing to do, he would just stay in there with him. Read a book, watch a show on his iPad, play a game, and it was always pleasant.

Victor was hunched over the desk, flipping through papers and wearing a very angry scowl as he did so. He didn't glance up as the omegas walked in, but he did inhale deeply and sigh.

"I thought we talked about skipping meals, Yuuri." He said, flipping to a different page. Yuuri winked at Yuri and then walked across the length of the room. He tilted his head ever so slightly as he stood beside Victor's chair and then grinned at the blond before speaking.

"We didn't skip it, Vitya. We had a tray of snacks brought down to the library."

Victor opened his mouth to say something, but ended up inhaling deeply again. Yuri watched as the Alpha's eyes fluttered closed and Yuuri grinned as he slipped smoothly into Victor's lap. Victor smiled and pressed a gentle kiss to Yuuri's lips.

Yuri blushed. He wondered if he'd ever be able to get the Alpha to do that to him.

"Alright," Victor said after a surprisingly long time of kissing Yuuri, "lunch should be here in just a minute. You and Yurio can entertain each other while I finish this report."

Yuuri slipped out of his lap and nodded for Yuri to come over to a small desk in the corner that the blond had not noticed before.

"Oh, what are we having?" Yuuri asked as they both reached the small desk and took their seats.

Victor hummed a bit before answering, "Oh uhm, chili."

Yuuri whined low in his throat, his neck pushed out aiming towards the Alpha again.

"What's wrong with chili, Okiniiri?" The man said a little irritated, but not looking away from his papers.

Yuuri sighed and shook his head. "I guess it's fine. I just wanted something like grilled cheese. Maybe peanut butter and jelly?"

Victor shook his head and grinned, "Why would you want grilled cheese instead of chili?"

Yuuri shrugged, "Just a craving I guess. It's fine, Vitya. I can eat the chili instead." His voice was quiet and polite as he spoke, but there was the slightest hint of a wine to it as well. Yuri kept his head down, trying not to laugh as well as trying to pay attention to how Yuuri behaved.

It was fascinating to see an Omega at work around an Alpha. The books and lessons had been very descriptive of the bond between the two, but there was nothing as good as actually witnessing it.

The doors to the office opened and a young girl rolled in a tray of Chili, crackers, cheese and sour cream. There were several types of drinks as well and she smiled as she brought it over to Victor. He sighed and waved her away gently. "Bring some grilled cheese and peanut butter and jelly. Tell Cookie to keep the chili hot for dinner, though."

The woman nodded without a word and handed him, what Yuri assumed was, his regular drink before rolling over to them and handing Yuuri his.

"What would you like?" She asked politely, smiling at Yuri kindly. He blushed and gasped, his mind going vacant at the question for some reason. He had been so intent on Yuuri that he just…blanked

"Uhm…milk?" He blushed again as he realized she didn't have any milk on the tray.

"I'll go and fetch you some, sir." She curtsied and moved to leave when Victor's voice broke the silence.

"No, just pick something on the tray, Yurio." He said, still not looking up.

Yuri looked at Yuuri with panic in his eyes and Yuuri winked again, tapping at his scent gland and then glancing to Victor. He mouthed the words 'you got this' and then Yuri gulped, sticking his neck out like Yuuri had and humming gently.

"Oh, okay, that's fine. I guess if I can't have milk I'll just have water." His voice was shaky, but he put every ounce of sadness into it. It came out much more noticeable than Yuuri's voice had been, but he smiled when Yuuri gave him the thumbs up.

Victor sighed again, "Bring him some milk."

The girl curtsied again and left him a glass of water and ran off to get the food they had requested.

/

"Oh my God! I can't believe that worked!" Yuri said excitedly as they made their way upstairs to their room. "I was so nervous!"

Yuuri linked their arms again and smiled. "We'll have to work on your voice, and I'll teach you how to release certain scents, but honestly you're a natural!"

Yuri blushed, "You were great. I've never seen an Alpha just give in like that. Even with something small."

Yuuri nodded, "That's because they won't give in. Not to anyone unless they honestly change their minds or an Omega _persuades_ them."

They both laughed as they pushed open the door to the large room and bounded in happily. Victor had sent them away after lunch, telling Yuuri to get some more lessons in before dinner, but Yuuri had _persuaded_ him to let them have a free afternoon.

 _Yurio's such a quick learner and you yourself said he had natural instincts. Maybe a walk through the gardens or something…_

"So why do you have to release scent when persuading?" Yuri asked as they changed into more comfortable clothes for walking. Yuuri had brought up some of his old clothes and had them washed and put away in their room for Yuri to wear. He told him they'd take him shopping after he joined their pack so he could pick out whatever he liked.

"It's not just any scent. It's a distress scent. If your Alpha knows you're in distress then he'll do what he can to fix it." Yuuri said pulling on his shoes.

Yuri nodded, "Why did it work when I did it then? I wasn't focusing on distress or anything."

"No, you don't focus on the scent you want to release, you just feel the emotion. You were freaking out because there was no milk, and then freaked out even more when I told you to go for it."

"Oh…"

"When you're a little more practiced, you won't have to actually be distressed. You'll just have to make yourself feel the emotion you want to portray and then speak what you want. We'll go over all of it." Yuuri linked their arms again and pulled Yuri out of the room and back down the stairs, heading outside for the gardens.

Yuri smiled as they walked through the lavish gardens, he could seriously get used to this.


	3. Chapter 3- The Offer

**The Offer (Kept Chapter 3)**

The past week had flown by in a blur. Yuuri was diligent about their lessons, but he was also affectionate and kind as they progressed. Yuri felt at ease with the other Omega. It was almost like a vacation, and spending time with someone he genuinely liked, being fed a healthy and balanced diet, getting plenty of exercise, and an endless supply of information was true bliss. If he were honest with himself, he would never want Yuuri's lessons to end.

Yuri was fascinated with the idea that outsiders could grow up thinking that Omegas were some weak, unwanted little things when with the right training, they could become incredibly influential. Yuuri had said that for that reason their House was successful.

Sure, Salsk was known for its Omega population, but it was the quality of its Omegas that people honed in on. It was expected of the Salsk Omega House to turn out Omegas who were beautiful and confident. Creatures who were submissive, yet strong willed. It was their strength that Alphas craved. They demanded a crop of Omegas who could effortlessly calm their Alpha, and those who could keep up with them in mind and body were the most highly prized.

As he continued to learn, Yuri began seeking out answers on his own. Yuuri was quick to help when asked even the simplest questions.

 _You can calm an Alpha's rage with your emotion? Show me!_

 _You can focus an Alpha's anger on a specific target? Teach me!_

 _You can influence an Alpha to wait on you hand-and-foot? I want to learn!_

He was sure that, at some point, Victor would realize exactly what they were doing, but the other man seemed at ease with Yuuri's crazy influence. Yuri assumed that, perhaps, the older Omega's antics were commonplace, and often he realized that Yuuri's lessons were focused around his own entertainment.

/

The more time the two Omegas spent together, the more Yuri came to like Yuuri. The older man was incredibly charismatic, passionate, and a little dopey all at once. However, it was the public image of submissiveness that Yuuri presented that solidified the importance of obedience to a higher authority in an Omega's life.

"Focus, Yurio," the older Omega said with a click of his tongue. Yuuri taught him to listen for every command; anything an Alpha demanded of his Omega was law. Every command given in public is obeyed even the most thoughtless whims of a distracted Alpha. This rule was their way of life, and it was something they had spent the better part of the day learning.

For this lesson, Yuuri had coaxed Yuri out of their room and into Victor's spacious office, where the Alpha was conducting his usual business. Victor, Yuri noticed, never minded having his beautiful Omega around, but he had been slightly put off when he realized that Victor rarely paid _him_ any attention. It was only when Yuuri pointed him out or directed the attention onto Yuri did Victor even acknowledge the young Omega.

The two Omegas sat quietly at a small desk in the corner of Victor's office, which Yuri had learned was Yuuri's personal desk that he used when he spent the day with Victor. Conveniently, it was out of the way, and most of the time people didn't even realize that it was there. It was the perfect place for an Omega.

As Victor went about his meeting, Yuuri was murmuring gentle words into Yuri's ear.

"Always watch for your Alpha's subtle commands. If he asks for anything, like a pen, then you respond quickly and efficiently," Yuuri reminded him quietly.

Yuri nodded wordlessly and continued to watch Victor as he went on with his dealings.

"If he reaches for his water, it's your job to place it in his hand. When he rubs his temples, fetch him his medication; when his stomach growls, go get him food. You must always remain aware of your Alpha's needs in public. Remember these rules and always respond to direct commands."

Yuuri trailed off in his speech and both Omegas turned to look at Victor, who was still seated at his desk. In front of him sat a fat, little businessman droning on aimlessly while Victor silently regarded him with a neutral expression. Noting that the only problem was his Alpha's weariness, Yuuri sent a small smile to Victor, as the alpha glanced their way. A hint of a smile tugged at the corners of Victor's lips as he looked back to the man in front of him.

"Victor is fond of hushing me," Yuuri quietly resumed with a chuckle. "He'll say things like 'Hush now, pet,' and he expects immediate cooperation despite his gentle tone. Always wait until he directly asks something of you. Always wait until you're out of the public eye before you speak freely."Although Yuuri was only reaffirming the stringent and expected behaviors of an Omega, there was that silent consolation that Omegas are not slaves to their Alphas. It was that gentle reminder that what's done and seen in public are not reality. Omegas were self-ruling; they're strong.

Yuri nodded minutely in understanding.

Their entire lesson, like most, seemed completely obvious to him, which Yuuri credited to his instincts kicking in and making the lessons easy. Still, Yuuri stressed the importance by working through each of his lessons just to be safe.

"Okiniiri," Victor's smooth voice broke through their hushed conversation. "Come and calm this little Omega, please," Victor commanded with a soft tilt of his head. Effortlessly, Yuuri rose to his feet and walked over to the petite Omega who sat beside the businessman. He brushed his warm palms down the Omega's trembling arms and led him back to his desk with a smile.

Subtly, Yuri eyed this new Omega as he was gently led back to Yuuri's chair. He seemed young-even younger than Yuri. Despite Yuuri's soft reassurances, the young Omega persisted to let off a distressed scent while quivers racked his body. Fleetingly, Yuri also wanted the older Omega to pepper _him_ with soft words and feel the warm drag of his hands on his body. Embarrassed at the thought, Yuri shook his head. It made no sense to envy someone who looked like they were crumbling away. Yuri turned his eyes to the scared kid only to see how Yuuri comfortably sit back down in his chair and pull the fearful Omega into his lap.

Yuuri gripped the back of the Omega's neck with delicate hands and drew him towards his scent gland. With a sweet hum, Yuuri's delicious scent began to calm the scared boy. Yuuri tilted his head slightly to allow the boy to scent him further, and the Omega inhaled deeply as his body relaxed. With a light sigh, he pressed his face as close to Yuuri's scent gland as possible and his trembling stopped.

Again, Yuri felt the faint desire of want.

This calming ability was the first lesson that Yuri was taught. Omegas, Yuuri explained, took comfort from other Omegas' scents. There was a certain calming factor to the Omega scent; it created a safe bubble of calm, which never failed to work on others. Of course, there were a few exceptions to this ability, but this power had yet to fail him. For that reason, Victor preferred Yuuri's company while he worked.

"Never hesitate to obey your Alpha. Follow through efficiently, and then fade back into the background," Yuuri taught him. "Your Alpha will thank you properly when you're in private," Yuuri teased him with a coy wink.

Yuri blushed as he listened to Yuuri's words. He had seen how affectionate Victor was towards Yuuri over the past few days. It was sickeningly sweet, and his heart ached to receive the same affections from the Alpha as well. He shivered slightly at the thought of the Alpha's strong hands gliding over his skin, and the soft press of Victor's lips on his forehead.

He was startled out of his daydream when the little Omega mewled. It was a louder sound than Yuuri would have allowed from him, but he just shushed the boy gently.

Victor's business meeting took longer than anyone in the room would have liked. The Alpha had moved from his chair to sit on the edge of his desk, and then he moved to the floor to pace for a bit before settling back into his chair with a huff. By the time the meeting was finished and the man left with his Omega in tow, it was obvious that Victor was frustrated.

Yuri realized that it wasn't simply his expression that gave away his feelings, but his scent. He could practically taste the frustration pouring from the Alpha, and he felt a strong urge to fall to his knees and bare his neck to the man.

Yuuri offered him a small smile before he stood up and walked towards Victor. Yuri watched as Victor wordlessly scooped the Omega into an embrace and nuzzled his nose into Yuuri's scent glands. Victor let out a content groan as he settled in close to his Omega, who purred in response. Yuuri let out a delighted whimper when Victor's teeth nipped gently into his neck.

There was a long stretch of silence before Victor finally moved away from Yuuri's neck, and Yuri had to calm his breathing from where he sat behind Yuuri's desk. There was a nagging, empty feeling that settled in his stomach as he watched the pair embrace.

"Yurio," Yuuri purred gently. "Come here," he spoke softly, trying to coax the young Omega over.

Victor leaned back to relax against the edge of his desk, watching silently as Yuuri wrapped his arm around the hesitant Omega's shoulders and grinned goofily. Victor shook his head with a small sigh and turned to look directly into Yuri's startled gaze.

"Yuri, I would like you to join our pack," Victor spoke with a flat voice that was void of emotion. His stare shifted over to Yuuri for a moment and Yuri had the feeling that he was suppressing an eye roll. It took a moment before his words sunk in.

"You –" Yuri cut himself off sharply. He couldn't even think of a response. They wanted him! They, well Yuuri, wanted him and Victor didn't seem to mind him.

"Yurio, we'll give you three days to decide if you want to join our pack," Yuuri added softly. "You'll have the full privileges of an Omega in our pack, not that it changes much for you. Strictly speaking you should have had your own room this week, but that doesn't really matter to me."

Cautiously Yuri looked at Victor for confirmation. The Alpha's face was impassive save for the barest hint of a smile when he looked at Yuuri. It made Yuri feel strange, like maybe he didn't belong, as if he were an outsider looking in.

Victor pushed off the edge of his desk, rolling his shoulders to crack his stiff neck. "Take this time to think about your answer. Being part of a mated pack is serious business; it's not a decision that is made lightly."

Yuri nodded and Victor flashed him a quick smile, a real smile this time, and it caused Yuri to whimper gently. Victor shook his head and the smile was gone. "Well, you and Yuuri should go on and leave me be. I've got to write all of this nonsense up in a report," he spoke as he floated around to his chair and pulled it up to the desk.

Yuuri hastily tugged Yuri out of the office, and he didn't seem to notice the younger Omega's hesitance to leave. Yuri just wanted Victor to smile at him again, just one more time. One more smile – even just a tiny one. But the door closed behind them and he was suddenly tackled by an excited Yuuri.

"I told you! I told you he liked you!" The older man shrieked, but Yuri gave him a strained smile. "What's with the face?" Yuuri asked in confusion after he released Yuri from his bone crushing hug.

Yuri shrugged.

"I just – don't you think maybe he just asked me to be his Omega to make you happy?" Yuri asked softly.

"What? No! He wouldn't do something this important just to please me," Yuuri said reassuringly. "Adding a member to a pack is lifelong. If he didn't want you, then he wouldn't have asked."

Yuri still wasn't convinced. He had spent the week watching Victor give in to things because it pleased Yuuri, and he was aware that adding to a pack was a big deal; but he just wasn't sure that Victor would refuse something that Yuuri obviously wanted.

He sighed. Honestly, he wasn't even sure if he cared at this point. Silently, Yuri mulled it over. Yuuri was wonderful, and he'd have an Alpha around for his Heats and protection. What more can he ask for-with a kind Omega and Alpha? Only seeing the positive and not wanting to further stress it over, Yuri couldn't think of a reason to turn down their offer.

He had a rough night's sleep following their discussion. He awoke, shaking, and was only calmed down when Yuuri's arms wrapped around him to soothe his distress. His subconscious mind had been hatching a plan, one that would help if figure out if becoming a member of their pack was really the right thing for all of them. But to put his plan in play, he'd need Yuuri's help. And it wouldn't be an easy task. He'd need to do it casually – to subtly slip his question nonchalantly into a conversation to avoid raising suspicion.

He decided that he'd ask Yuuri the following morning, when they were finishing up breakfast. Carefully, he directed the topic of the conversation closer and closer to his question.

It'd started off simple enough. After they finished eating together and Victor went off to the kitchen to ask about their plans for the upcoming welcome feast being hosted on the following Monday, Yuri was finally alone with the older Omega. Yuuri had suggested they play cards, and while they were happily playing, the question flew out of Yuri's throat without his permission.

"Yuuri, how do you…seduce an Alpha?" He was surprised at how casual his voice sounded. It must have been a natural response to the hours he spent carefully planning this exact conversation.

Yuuri looked up from his hand and looked at Yuri with concern. "Why? You planning on seducing anyone?" He asked with a teasing air.

Yuri grinned and shook his head, looking at his own hand before laying down a card. "We were talking about it yesterday, and I was just wondering how an Omega makes an effort. Like, I know we have our scent glands, but like – what else?"

Yuuri chuckled. "Well, it's basically just flirting if you take the scent out of it – flipping your hair, touching their knee, you know. It's the scent that holds them though." He laid down two cards and the picked up two new ones, grinning as he did.

"I've never flirted before," Yuri said softly while looking down at his cards and fighting a blush.

Yuuri didn't gasp or laugh at the young Omega. He just beamed and nodded. "Lucky for you, you've already found an Alpha. No need to seduce anyone."

Yuri smiled. He hadn't told Yuuri of his growing suspicion that Victor wouldn't show any interest in Yuri, other than the incident the day before when they were leaving Victor's office. But he had made up his mind –if Victor wasn't really interested in him, then he would decline his invitation into their pack. He liked Yuuri, a lot, but he couldn't stand to be with an Alpha who would only touch him during his Heats. And it had crossed his mind that Victor might intentionally plan to be out of town during those times. He nodded to Yuuri and then set his cards down.

"Royal Flush," He said with a grin. Yuuri cursed and threw his cards down on the table, pouting adorably and shaking his head.

"Best 6 out of 11?"

/

Yuri couldn't sleep again. He had woken up when Victor came creeping into the room later that night. The Alpha didn't always work late, but Yuuri had mentioned that Fridays were always busy because they were usually the days that they'd get new Omegas. Startled, he couldn't believe that he'd already been here a week. It felt like time was fleeting. Yuri's body went cold and heavy at the thought. Just as quick as it came, Yuri discarded the thoughts for another time to ruminate.

Victor was quiet, obviously assuming the two boys were asleep, and Yuri didn't make a move to correct that thought. He watched through his eyelashes as Victor peeled off his vest, which was followed by his dress shirt. Yuri shivered and his cheeks warmed in embarrassment. He had seen the Alpha's naked chest before, but that didn't change the fact that watching him undress made Yuri ache in ways he ever could have imagined.

He tampered down his scent and forced his eyes shut when the Alpha began undoing his trousers, and he counted to ten before chancing another look. Victor had moved closer to him – very close. He fought the urge to shut his eyes again, knowing that any move would alert the Alpha to his awakened state.

Victor gave him a pained look and kneeled closer, pushing some of Yuri's hair out of his face. The touch was magic; it sent tingles through his body as the Alpha's long fingers scratched gently at his scalp. He purred at the touch and debated 'waking up' to see what would happen.

"It had to be you," Victor muttered softly – his words were barely a whisper. He continued to play gently with Yuri's lush hair and talk to himself. "Of all the Omegas in the entire House…you," he sighed as his thoughts trailed. He stood up.

Yuri wasn't sure if he'd heard the Alpha correctly. He wasn't sure what he even meant with those words. He wanted to open his eyes, look at the beautiful Alpha and beg him to tell Yuri what he meant, but he chickened out. He felt Victor pull away, and a few moments later, he heard the bead squeak as the Alpha slid into bed beside Yuuri.

The older Omega's body moved away from Yuri to be closer to Victor's warmth, and Yuri listened as Yuuri's purrs and the sounds of gentle kisses filled his ears.

When he woke the next morning, his sleeping mind had concocted a new idea, one that he had been toying with in his waking mind but couldn't fully create. He was going to seduce the Alpha.

He would make Victor want him, and he had little doubt that with his natural instincts he could manage the task perfectly.

Things started slowly. Yuuri had taught him that the best way to persuade was through small actions. So, when he felt Yuuri crawl out of bed in the early hours of the morning, he took a breath to calm himself as he shifted his plan into action.

He shimmied closer to Victor's sleeping form; his heart pounded at the thought of what he was doing and he bit his lip to suppress a whimper.

"Alpha…" Yuri's tone was like a plea, and he intentionally released his scent to stir the man from his sleep.

Victor's arms wrapped around him gently, pulling him close. He grinned as the Alpha inhaled his scent dreamily. Yuri nuzzled into the nape of Victor's neck, letting his nose brush against the scent glands there that he knew were sensitive, based on his readings.

Victor growled lowly and his powerful arms pulled the young Omega tighter into his body. Yuri felt himself practically melt into his embrace as he was hit by the calming aroma of the Alpha. Glancing up to check on the older man, Yuri grinned when he confirmed that Victor was still asleep. It was obvious then that Victor was unconsciously releasing the scent to please his Omega, and he purred at the thought.

Yuri felt the bed dip behind him as Yuuri crawled his way back into bed, and he tensed for a second as he wondered if the older man would be angry that he'd taken his spot in the middle. Quickly, his fears were drowned out as he calmed down to Victor's scent washing over him and Yuuri's warm body pressed against his comfortably.

He felt his heart rate slow down and his eye lids grow heavy as he fell back into sleep, happily curled up between the two men.

/

Victor's scent woke him some time later. It was so different to Yuuri's, but somehow it was much, much better. It was musk, with another layer of something comforting – like a bright fire and was followed by smoky warmth. He nuzzled into his heat source and hummed when soft lips pressed against his forehead. The kisses continued pressing along his cheek bone, nudging his head up before continuing down his jaw and chin. A delicate kiss was pressed against the corner of his lips, and he whimpered when they lightly brushed against his own.

Before the supple kiss could deepen, the soft lips were ripped away from him. Confused, his eyes flew open and he startled as Victor gasped and jerked backwards, effectively throwing himself out of bed and onto the floor with a loud thud.

"Yurio!" The man panted in shock as he stood.

Yuuri groaned sleepily as he sat up on the other side of him.

"What's going on?" He asked, voice still thick with sleep. Yuri could feel the annoyance seeping from the older Omega. He stayed put, but pushed himself up on his elbows slowly. He tried to keep his eyes innocent and he blocked off his scent, as he was sure that his distress would leak through. His plan was to seduce, not gain pity.

"What's wrong?" He asked, forcing a sleepy yawn.

Victor was still standing, frozen in shock as confusion stretched over his face. He had clearly thought he'd been cuddling with Yuuri. He shook his head and took a deep breath. "No, nothing. I just –" he struggled for the right words. "I have to get ready," he muttered as he swiftly walked to the bathroom and nearly slammed the door in his haste.

Yuri turned over to face Yuuri, a look of sadness growing on his face. He felt as his control over his scent slipped and his distressed aroma filled the air.

"What did I do wrong?" His voice cracked as he fought to stay calm.

Yuuri pulled him closer and pressed a kiss to his lips. "Nothing. Victor is just really strange in the mornings," Yuuri murmured comfortingly before pressing another kiss to the younger Omega's mouth. "I'll go talk to him." He said with a grin as he slipped out of the bed. He walked to the bathroom door and knocked softly before letting himself in.

Yuri didn't want to lay around in bed depressed. Yuri steadied his heart and held steadfast onto his plan, still determined to test Victor's interest in him. This had only been part of his plan, and honestly it hadn't gone too badly. The fact that Victor's natural instinct was to pull him close was a good sign. So he shoved the warm quilt off of himself and got ready for the day.

He had already finished dressing when Yuuri finally reappeared from the bathroom, a goofy smile on his face and slightly damp hair.

"So," The older man asked clasping his hands together, "breakfast?"

/

It had taken all of Yuri's courage to put the rest of his idea into play. He spent the day teasing the Alpha subtly; releasing scents of arousal whenever Victor came within a foot of him, purring loudly if Victor spoke to him or touched him in anyway, calling him "Alpha" and absolutely nothing else. It was working. He could see the frustration on the Alpha's face; he could smell the faint hint of arousal and see the look of desire in his features.

With each passing tease, he grew more confident in himself. And so, he found himself here; naked on the bed, his aroused scent filling the air and his body on full display to the Alpha.

He had planned this carefully, and he was sure that Yuuri had some idea of what he was up to, but he never actually gave the man details. Yuuri had been coaxed into giving the other Omega's a sort of pep talk to get them excited about their training. And Yuri had jumped at this chance to have a few hours alone with Victor.

He was careful to only release arousal scents as he lay in waiting for his Alpha. This would either be completely mental or incredibly brilliant and Yuri forced himself to not be so confident that it would be brilliant. After all, Victor had shown no signs of interest other than offering to make him part of his pack.

But he had to try. He couldn't just accept without knowing if Victor actually liked him. How would he possibly get through Heats if he had an Alpha so close—yet so far? He shook the anxiety from his mind and focused on his arousal.

He pictured Victor's naked body; chiseled and solid. He pictured running his fingers down every curve every crevice of his toned muscle, and imagined the sensation of the Alpha's big hands on his hips, urging his smaller frame forward and backward to grind on his lap.

Yuri felt his dick grow at the thoughts and he moaned softly. He reached down and gripped his quickly hardening length, giving it a light and teasing squeeze. The pressure was so wonderful that another moan escaped him. He let his wrist move slowly, and his small hand glided smoothly over his increasing hardness.

His eyes fluttered closed at the feel and his thoughts flew to Yuuri. His mouth slowly lowering over the heated cock as Yuri fucked into his mouth gently. Yuuri would close his eyes, moan and let the vibrations send shockwaves through his body. Yuri groaned as his hand picked up speed.

Victor was back in his mind's eye; his Alpha scent washing over him as he'd crawl up close and press soft kisses to his neck and jaw. He'd take the cock in his own hand, hold it out for Yuuri and together the older man would slowly, tortuously bring him closer and closer to the edge.

Victor would grin, drop his grip on Yuri's cock and let Yuuri take care of the throbbing need while he would trail a soft finger down Yuri's ball sac. His finger tip would dance around the pucker of his virgin hole and slick would immediately drool out, coating Victor's lovely fingers.

Yuri gasped, stopping the thought of what would happen next before it manifested. He didn't need to get himself off at the moment. He needed to be hard and ready for Victor—not spent and done.

He didn't have to wait long after he released his cock. Victor walked in; folder in hand and staring intently at whatever was on the page.

Yuri pushed his body into presentation; a position Omega's would take to submit to their Alphas where their faces were down, backs arched and asses straight in the air. His thighs were parted, allowing every inch of himself to be seen and then he heard the gasp.

Victor dropped the folder he had been reading and stared at Yuri through blown pupils.

"Y-Yurio…" His voice was surprised, breathless and awed.

Yuri whined softly. "Alpha…please…"

He heard Victor move a few steps toward him and he vibrated with want. Victor released a low, dominating growl and the sound had him whine again, his body shivering with desire. **.** His thighs trembled and slick easily began to run down. The need to push his face further down and present was stronger.

Then Victor released another growl; this one did not make him whine. He felt his body freeze, his heart drop as the angry growl tore from the Alpha's throat. It made him quake in fear and shame, and all soon enough he felt self-conscious of his splayed legs. He couldn't dare lift his head, and the desire to submit and apologize-to regain forgiveness and acceptance from the Alpha.

"Is this your idea of a joke?" Victor's voice was calm but menacing; shaking with anger just slightly and Yuri felt his body flatten out of presentation and into submissive mode, baring his neck to the Alpha and closing his eyes in apology.

"N-No…" He panted gently, trying to understand what went wrong. "I just wanted t-to…"

"Wanted to try to seduce me? Thought it'd be funny to see how easy it'd be to bed an Alpha without being part of his pack?" His voice rose in volume and Yuri whimpered.

"I—I'm sorry! I wasn't trying to…"

Yuri jumped as he heard the door slam and he looked up at where Victor had been standing. The Alpha's folder was still on the floor where he'd dropped it, mocking him silently.


	4. The Saint Petersburg Omega House

Yuri couldn't decide if leaving his parents had been as difficult on him as this. He had pulled on his clothes slowly, forcing the tears to stay put and refusing to let them fall. This was why. This had been the reason he had trained himself to keep his distance from others. Things changed, people changed. He knew it was his own fault for falling for Yuuri's charms. If he hadn't pushed as hard, if he could just accept that Victor wouldn't love him the same way he loved Yuuri, things would be easier.

He walked slowly down the large staircase, letting his had run along the smooth wooden banister. Would Victor force him out or would he allow Yuri to stay? He tried to thicken his skin. He had already learned so much from Yuuri about being an Omega. He could survive just fine no matter what happened.

Oh, Yuuri! The blond stopped on the stairs, his body crumbling in on itself as he thought of the beautiful Japanese Omega; his beautiful Yuuri, who was so patient with him, so kind, and smelled so wonderful. No, he couldn't do this! He wiped at his tears, took a deep breath, and then stood up straight. He would be fine.

Victor's office door was closed when he approached it, and it looked just as foreboding and ominous as it had on Yuri's first day. He had spent countless hours in there over the past week, and yet it seemed just as unwelcoming as ever. He took another steadying breath and knocked on the heavy door.

There was a moment of silence before a muffled, "Come in," carried through the door. It was Victor's voice. He sounded preoccupied, and Yuri immediately caught the touch of anger that remained in his tone. He hesitated for a moment; maybe he should have waited to do this – no! Today was the third day since he had been offered a place in Victor's pack. It was the last day to say no, and he had to do it.

He forcefully pushed open the door and stepped inside, closing it firmly behind him with a loud click. He walked forward into the quiet room and stopped in front of the Alpha's desk. I stared directly into Victor's flat gaze.

"Yuri," Victor's voice was soft, but Yuri heard the edge of contempt in it.

"I can't be a part of your pack," Yuri blurted out as he struggled to hold back his tears. _Do not cry, do not cry, do not cry._ He kept his head up, posture straight, and scent muted. This was not a discussion, it wasn't a test, and it wasn't a manipulation. It was simply his decision.

"What?!" Another voice butted into his thoughts. It was Yuuri who responded, and Yuri hadn't even realized that he was in the room. The older Omega was at his side in an instant, and he gripped his arm in an iron grip. Yuri fought the urge to wrap himself around Yuuri and soak up is scent.

"I – I can't be a part of your pack," he said again, voice trembling.

"But Yuri, I thought – you seemed – Victor say something!" Yuuri cried out to his Alpha.

Yuri held his breath. This was it, Victor had this one moment to decide their future together. He could force the Omega into his pack with a bite – mating him and making it impossible for Yuri to ever have an Alpha again, or he could say nothing and let Yuri go in peace. There was also the off chance that he could say something that would change the young Omega's mind, but that was unlikely.

Victor said nothing. He had looked up from his desk at Yuri's words and simply stared at him. Yuuri had been the one to run forward to comfort and confront him. Victor seemed distressed, but Yuri assumed that his reaction was in concern for Yuuri. Victor folded his hands under his chin gently as he continued to watch Yuri carefully.

"If this is his decision, then we should respect it, Yuuri," he said. His words were simple, and there was no anger within them and there was no underlying feeling of any emotion really. They were just words. Simple, heartbreaking words.

That was enough for Yuri, and finally he knew that he had made the right choice. He couldn't stand to be an Omega of a pack whose Alpha had no love for him, that he didn't even care enough to fight for Yuri. He held no anger, no joy, no nothing for Yuri.

Yuuri gripped his arm tightly, and Yuri finally looked at him. The older man had tears running down his face, and his brown eyes were pleading with him to change his mind.

"I'm sorry, Yuuri," he said as he dropped his head. "I just don't think this would work."

"Why?" The question was so soft that Yuri almost didn't hear it. Yuuri's hand came to his chin and pushed it up until they were gazing into each other's eyes. "Why wouldn't this work," he asked just as softly as before. God, Yuri just wanted to wrap his arms around his neck and sob uncontrollably. He wanted to scream, " _I take it back! I don't care that Victor hates me, please, I'm sorry! I want to stay_!" But he kept himself calm and silent.

"It just wouldn't," he said instead. He couldn't help the fleeting glance to Victor as he spoke those words, and he immediately felt Yuuri's sadness turn into anger.

"What did you do," he hissed out viciously, turning to Victor.

The Alpha was quiet for a long moment before he shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "I offered to make him part of our pack, like you wanted. What he decides is his own choice"

"And he was so excited! Now he's here turning us down? You did something," Yuuri shouted accusingly. "What did you do?!" Yuuri's head whipped back to Yuri, his brown eyes pleading. "What did he do?" Yuuri cried, staring at Yuri with desperation.

The young Omega reached out and took Yuuri's hand in his own, trying to quell the overwhelming emotions that were threatening to boil over.

"Alph – Victor didn't do anything, I just – I don't think –"

"Why?! Why wouldn't it work," Yuuri interrupted as his tears flowed freely down his cheeks.

Yuri sighed, reeling in his emotions as best he could before speaking again. "Yuuri, I don't _want_ this," he said finally.

Yuri could practically feel Yuuri's heart shatter. The older Omega would never force something onto him that he didn't want. And it was the only way Yuri could get the heat off of Victor, because he couldn't be a part of the pack, even if Victor confessed his disinterest in Yuri becoming his Omega. All that would do is cause problems between Victor and Yuuri, and he didn't want that. He knew how much they loved each other.

Victor was standing beside them in a heartbeat, and Yuuri staggered into his embrace. "B-but I th-thought," Yuuri shook his head in confusion and struggled to breathe.

Yuri took a step back and swallowed loudly. "I'm sorry," he said, voice threatening to break with how shaky his breathing was. "I didn't mean to lead you on."

Yuuri misled in pain and shoved his face into victor's chest. The silver haired man stared at Yuri for a long moment. His face was void of emotion – no anger, sadness, or gratefulness. It reassured Yuri that he'd made the right choice.

"I'll pack my things," Yuri said, putting his head down when he was no longer able to maintain eye contact. "I can be on the next train to St. Petersburg."

Victor had opened his mouth to speak, but it was Yuuri who spoke first. "NO! Not St. Petersburg, please…" he had pulled his face out of Victor's shirt and was staring at Yuri with a painful expression. "V-Vic," Yuuri sobbed as he looked to his Alpha for help.

Victor spoke next, pushing Yuuri's head back into the comfort of his chest and tightening his hold on the Omega. "Yurio, it's no trouble to keep you here. We can put you into the dorms and have you in classes with the other Omegas by tomorrow."

Yuri hesitated. He'd love to stay, but could he?"

"I don't know," Yuri trailed off, still uncertain.

Victor's eyes met his and he shuddered. For the first time, he saw something behind his stare. Something different, almost pleading Yuuri moved his head again, his eyes red and body trembling.

"Yurio, we won't – we won't bother you," Yuuri said through hiccupped sobs. "Y-you can stay and find a good Al-alpha here.

Yuri bit his lip, looking away and fighting his tears with all his might. _Do not cry_.

"Yurio," Victor spoke again, and the blond couldn't help looking at the man as he spoke. His voice was still calm, still emotionless, but his eyes told a different story. "Stay," he said finally.

Yuri heard the plea in his words, but he ignored his initial desire to obey the Alpha. Victor wasn't _his_ Alpha, and now he never would be. He couldn't stay and he couldn't be anywhere near Yuuri. Having his scent lingering around the hall, the gardens, and the stables would be torture. Yuri couldn't do that to himself, and he couldn't do that to Yuuri. No, the best thing for all of them would be for him to leave.

He locked eyes with Victor, and for a long moment neither said a thing. Victor was the first Alpha he had met. He was the first Alpha to touch him, to press soft lips against his skin, and yet Yuri knew he wouldn't be the last. He'd have to find an Alpha that wasn't Victor, someone different, who loved him for who he was and not because he was told to.

"I don't think," he struggled, swallowing the words down as Yuuri's scent of distress increased. There would be no going back. A clean break was what they needed. Maybe it would be final enough for Yuuri to accept and get over the heartbreak quickly. Yuri hoped so.

Victor stood up, cradling Yuuri bridal style. His lips were pressed into a thin line and a short nod was given as he strolled past Yuri. The older Omega was sobbing quietly in his arms as they left the office.

Yuri breathed raggedly. His heart ached with sorrow when he realized that this was the last time he would ever see Yuuri. The older man deserved so much more. He wished he could explain – wished that he could tell Yuuri that he wanted him so badly that he could barely breathe with the knowledge that he was really leaving. He was leaving, and would be gone for good.

/

Victor hadn't come down after he had taken Yuuri away. Instead, Zakhar had shown up and escorted him to an empty dorm room where his things had already been sent. Everything was neatly packed and absolutely soaked with Yuuri's scent.

Yuri spent the night tossing and turning, because his mind kept replaying his final meeting with Victor and Yuuri over and over again. He spent sleepless hours convincing and then unconvincing himself that he had made the right choice. By the time he finally made it to sleep, the grey light of morning was already seeping into the room.

Hours later, when Zakhar knocked on his door, Yuri realized he had been crying in his sleep. The older man had left a tray of food for his breakfast outside and hollered that he'd need to be ready to leave for the train station in one hour.

He knew deep down that this was probably standard for an Omega transferring to St. Petersburg, but he couldn't help but feel that Zakhar was being cold and distant with him on purpose. He ate his meal, grabbed his few belongings, and was down in front of the House with ten minutes to spare.

He was glad that the bus was already there waiting for him. He wouldn't have to stand outside where he knew Yuuri could see him from his window. He got on the bus and sat in the front seat, staring out toward the drive and refusing to look at the House. There was no way he could go back now, absolutely no way. And there was no need to torture himself by giving the House "one last look".

Zakhar boarded the bus a few moments later with several other boys. Once everyone was settled, he spoke to them in his rough voice.

"The train to St. Petersburg is an Omega train. You shouldn't have any issues while on board. Once you step off the train, you must stick together." He looked at them all silently for a moment, stressing the importance. "One of the caretakers will gather you at the station and take you to the House. If you get separated from the group, we have provided you with maps of St. Petersburg that will show you how to get to the House. But be warned,' he paused again. "St. Petersburg is a big city. It's very easy for someone to get _lost_." The emphasis on the last word made it clear that he didn't mean lost in the directional sense.

After the cheerful pep talk Zakhar strapped himself into the driver's seat and pulled away. Yuri closed his eyes. _Don't look back. Don't look back._

For almost two glorious weeks he'd had it all, and if he had just kept his mouth shut – didn't try to force Victor to feel something for him and was just happy with Yuuri's love—then he'd be wrapped in the Omega's arms right now.

He shook his head and straightened up in his seat. He'd have to figure out a way to put this behind him. He knew that with time the pain would fade, but he'd have to do something to get it out of his mind sooner rather than later.

As the bus pulled into the station, Zakhar walked them to the train and watched as they all boarded. When Yuri stepped up to get on, Zakhar grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Look after yourself, Omega." The older man said gruffly. "It's not the same over there."

It was a little jarring to hear such a warning from the grumpy old man. He wondered if the warning was from him, or from— _No_. He was not going to think of Yuuri. He nodded his understanding to the man and gave him the best attempt at a smile he could manage.

"I will," He said softly and boarded the train as bravely as he could manage. He watched Zakhar from his seat as the train began pulling away. The man never looked away, never took his eyes off him.

He hadn't really known Zakhar during the two weeks he'd spent in Salsk, but as the figure of the man grew smaller and darker in the distance, he almost thought that he'd miss him.

/

The bleakness of St. Petersburg caught Yuri off guard. The entire city seemed to exist on a near grey scale, and he shivered as he pulled his bag over his shoulder and moved away from the quickly emptying train. He was dimly aware that the noise and crowd of the city was a far cry from the more picturesque feel of Salsk.

He took a deep breath and coughed as he inhaled the rough air.

"Salsk!" A sharp voice snapped through his coughing fit and he looked up to see a tall, thin woman with a pointed face. He stepped forward along with the other boys as the woman approached them.

"I am Lilia Baranovskaya. I am one of the caretakers at the St. Petersburg Omega House." Yuri didn't think he'd ever seen a sterner looking person in all his life. Neat as a pin, she stood at least a head taller than him and her small frame did nothing to soften her hard features.

"You will not speak until you are spoken to. You will not make unnecessary noise, and you will keep up. It's a long walk to the House and I don't care if we lose some of you on the way."

Her voice was deep and menacing, and her features made it very clear that she was not joking. She honestly didn't seem to care one way or the other.

"Let's go."

Yuri felt almost compelled to obey her. Not out of any biological need, but just from pure fear. Her words were quick, firm and confident and she didn't wait for them to comply before the brisk click clack of her shoes began ringing on the stone of the ground. He pulled his bag up on his shoulder and tore off after her, running to keep up with her brutal pace.

/

The St. Petersburg Omega House: Where good prices meet good Omegas.

The House was much more cramped than the Salsk House, and the smell was nearly impossible to describe; a mixture of body odor, mold, and urine with a touch of what Yuri assumed was food of some sort and even that didn't seem to quite describe the smell fully.

The House itself was a tall square building with eleven floors counting the bottom level. It reminded him of a prison as his new roommate, Phichit gave him the tour.

As they walked up the stairwell to the third floor, Phichit held the door to the hall open for Yuri as he dragged his bags along.

"So, each floor is just like ours – think of each floor like one giant square," he said nodding forward. "If you go all the way down this hallway there will be a door that leads to another stairwell. If you turn left when you get to the door and then go straight down that hallway you'll see another stairwell," he motioned with his hands as he walked Yuri mentally through the floor. "If you keep following the hallways you'll make it right back here." He said pointing down the hallway to their left.

Yuri made a face. He was sure it wasn't as confusing as Phichit described. Phichit motioned for him to follow him and they made their way down the hallway. Yuri noticed that to their right was door after door, all numbered in the 300's. As they walked down the hallway Yuri's gaze turned to the other side where a door was coming up, "What's this door lead to?"

Phichit looked to where he motioned and nodded. "That's the classroom." He said tapping on the wall that made the hallways so narrow. "It's just a giant room with four doors opening into it, one on each hallway, so if you're at the opposite side of the building you could cross through the classroom to get to our dorm faster."

Yuri looked in the small window of the door. Phichit wasn't lying, the room was huge, and from his vantage point he could see another door across the room.

"Why is it so big?" Yuri asked as Phichit stopped in front of door 308. The older boy smiled and pushed open the door, motioning for Yuri to go first.

"There are 40 dorms to a floor, ten down each hallway. And at maximum capacity there are two Omegas per room. So, there are 80 Omegas at most here in the House. The classrooms need to be big."

As Yuri walked through the door he was immediately struck by just how tiny the room was. Directly in front of him, on the wall opposite the door, was the tiniest window he had ever seen. On either side of the window was an uncomfortably small-looking, neatly made bed. Both beds were pushed against opposite walls, leaving barely enough space for him to squeeze past Phichit as they settled down.

He moved forward closed the door behind him with a soft click. "So the closets are right here," Phichit said as he motioned to sliding doors at the very foot of each bed. "This side is mine," he motioned to the right, "and that one is yours."

Phichit crawled onto his side and rested his back against the wall, watching as Yuri began to configure his things into the closet. Even with the few items he owned, the closet barely fit everything, and it took him an insane amount of time to get everything in just right. When he finally finished and sat down on the bed facing Phichit, he shook his head and let out a nervous laugh.

"I feel like a sardine."

Phichit just shrugged. "We spend most of our time in the classes. I suppose they don't want to waste space when all we do in here is sleep and store stuff."

Phichit was a nice kid, Yuri thought. He was a little older than Yuri and despite the terrible conditions, he was cheerful. Yuri could see that at one time Phichit had been quite the beauty; dark caramel skin, striking black hair and warm almond eyes. Now, his eyes were brought down by the bags that were under them, the skin itself was tight over his bones and the hair was dull, straw like and brittle.

"No bathrooms?" Yuri asked, glancing around the tiny room.

Phichit shook his head. "Not in the dorms. But there are bathrooms right next to the stairwells. Each hall shares one, and each dorm is given six minutes each. I hope you're not shy, because we are not splitting the time and doing three each," he said with a kind grin.

Yuri blushed and shook his head. "I don't mind. But why are we only given six minutes?"

Phichit shrugged again. "I think it's to conserve water. There are a lot of us, I told you." Yuri nodded.

"Well whatever the reason, don't let them catch you going over time. When the water shuts off, you need to be out of the shower and drying off or," he trailed off as an expression of fear crossed his face.

"Or what?" Yuri asked, suddenly nervous.

"There was a girl who says she fell asleep in the shower," Phichit began softly. "When the water shut off, her caretaker came in and pulled her out of the bathroom, soaking wet and completely naked. He had her attend all her classes like that and she wasn't given water for two days! He said that people who waste water don't deserve water."

Yuri's face was a mixture of horror and sympathy for the unknown girl. Surely this sort of treatment was illegal!

"Why didn't anyone report him?"

Phichit shook his head slowly, casting his eyes down. "Report him to whom?"

And there it was. The underlying problem that Omegas faced in the world. Omega Houses were not required by law. Any Omega could choose to leave whenever they wanted. The issue was that an unmated Omega was at high risk of rape, sex trafficking, and forced mating. Most Omega's chose to stay in Houses because of the protection. So, reporting the abuse to the police could possibly land the House with a hefty fine, but then what would the Omega in question do?

Yuri shook his head with a sigh. _It would be one thing if the issue was Alphas_ , he thought sadly. Yuuri had taught him that Omegas had a very powerful control over Alphas. True, the Alphas had control in turn, but the _persuasion_ he had learned could keep him safe just the same. It was the Betas that were the problem. A Beta couldn't mate an Omega, but there was nothing stopping a Beta from raping them, or kidnapping and then selling them. Betas were immune to Scent; completely free when it came to their biology.

Alphas offered Omegas protection, and a certain level of comfort. Even a terrible Alpha could ease the pains of Heat. That's where Houses came in. A House gave you protection while unmated, offered lessons in how to land a strong Alpha, taught you how to prepare for Heat and what precautions to take. Alphas wanting Omegas would come to these Houses to pick someone they liked, and then the House would prepare you for that Alpha specifically. It was an extremely intricate and delicate system.

"Point taken," he said softly. Phichit nodded in understanding.

"So you're from Salsk? I hear it's nice there. Don't they have gardens and horses there?"

Yuri nodded with a smile. "Yeah they do. There are five gardens. Each one is a little bigger than the previous. And there are Horse trails through the woods and open fields where you can ride for hours."

Phichit leaned back on his bed, resting his head on his hand and sighing. "That sounds wonderful."

"It's beautiful, I only got to walk through two of the gardens, and they're not at full bloom this time of year. But even now it's so calming." Yuri said with a dreamy smile.

"Why did you leave?" Phichit asked

Yuri's smile faded slowly and he felt the all too familiar tug of regret start to rise in his stomach.

"I…" He didn't even know how to explain.

Phichit looked at him calmly for a long moment and then smiled. "Alpha?"

Yuri wasn't sure what Phichit thought an 'Alpha issue' meant, but it was a broad enough excuse to not have to give more details and still tell him the truth. So he nodded, chewing his lip when Phichit nodded in understanding.

"You don't have to talk about it."

At that moment the lights in the small room turned off, and they were thrown into complete blackness. Yuri gasped, sitting up on his bed and trying to feel around so he could stand.

"It's okay!" Phichit said hurriedly. "It's just lights out. Try to get some sleep. We have the shower at 6:36am."

Yuri nodded, though he doubted Phichit could see the movement, and laid back down on his bed with a sigh.

He laid awake for what felt like hours, long after Phichit's breathing had evened out in the telltale sign of sleep. All he could think about was Yuuri. His beautiful Yuuri, and how he'd be wrapped around the older man right now if things had been different.

He was pretty sure he had cried every last tear from his body by the time sleep finally pulled him into unconsciousness.


	5. Chapter 5- moving on

Life in St. Petersburg was pretty much how Yuri had expected his life to be like before Yuuri entered the picture. Every morning he and Phichit took a semi warm shower together. There wass absolutely no privacy in the House for an Omega and it was something he had to get over quickly. After their shower, the two would dress and head to the classroom on their floor for breakfast, where they were served porridge and water. After breakfast was three hours of basic classes; math, writing, history, followed by lunch and then four hours of Omega classes; proper diet, how to obey indirect orders, staying perfectly still.

Even with the different atmosphere and sudden change in tutor, Yuri found that the Omega classes came naturally. Although he hated how Omegas were treated, he could see absolutely no issue in following an Alpha's orders, or submitting. He actually found that, as time passed, he was looking forward to getting into more Omega classes.

All Houses operated on a similar schedule. Omegas would be brought in as soon as they presented, which was between the ages of 14 and 17. The first year at a House, the Omega was given basic education and basic behavioral courses. The second year at a House moved on to more intense Omega courses and when the Omega turned 17 they would be allowed to be Viewed by Alphas.

Being Viewed was different at each House, but basically it was just where Alphas could come in and interact with Omegas who were available for purchase. When an Alpha took a liking to an Omega, they would receive specialized and personalized training dictated by the Alpha. A House like Salsk included a wide variety of courses in Languages, Politics, Sports, Education and much more. Each specialized course was picked by the Alpha for the Omega usually based on the Alpha's line of work.

Although St. Petersburg did offer specialized courses, Yuri found that much of the course work was exaggerated or completely made up.

A young girl he and Phichit ate breakfast with most days, was chosen four months after he arrived at the House. Her Alpha requested that she learn how to speak French and German as well as learn the very basics of house cleaning. The house cleaning was easy for them to train, basically gaining a new servant in the House, but the French and German? She told Phichit and Yuri that the extent of her knowledge was how to say Hello and Goodbye as well as Yes Alpha and No Alpha.

It was shoddy workmanship in Yuri's eyes. There was simply no reason why they couldn't just hand her a French and German dictionary and have her study them. But it would take too much effort on the Houses part it seemed. He shook his head when she told them and he thought back to Salsk and wondered if they had special classes for language. He shook the thought from his head, no reason to keep thinking back to Salsk.

His heart seemed to be mending a bit as time passed as well. Thoughts of Yuuri didn't occur nearly as often as they had the first few months in St. Petersburg. Yuri knew that Phichit was a big help in that; his scent wasn't nearly as appealing as the older Omega's had been, and nothing compared to Victor's, but it was still comforting. And as time passed, Yuri found comfort in their friendship.

Their classes weren't anything like Yuri had expected. Coming from Salsk, he had imagined he would learn control of his scent, the alluring way to speak words to an Alpha and even certain body language to help in their day to day lives once an Alpha claimed them. But it wasn't like that at all.

They spent their Omega classes learning how to obey on cue, learning how to convey their wishes without words and being taught what was expected of them as Omegas.

"An Omega's place is behind an Alpha." Lilia explained in her normal crisp voice. "Walking in the streets, at banquets, parties, and even in the home. An Alpha expects their Omega to be directly behind them at all times. If your Alpha turns and finds you anywhere but behind them, you can expect discipline."

Discipline had been explained during every class Yuri had attended. An Alpha had the freedom to punish an Omega anywhere from physically to emotionally. Most Alphas, Lila had explained, were fond of leaving their Omegas alone during Heat if they were unhappy with anything the Omega had done. This was a terrifying thought for an Omega. Heats were brutal affairs that would wrap their bodies in unending fire that would burn until an Alpha had knotted them. This Heat would also invade their minds and prevent any coherent thought that didn't pertain to being knotted. It was not unheard of for Omegas to become severely dehydrated during Heats if their Alphas weren't taking care of them.

It was also made clear that once bonded, only the one Alpha could fully prevent the effects of Heat for an Omega. So if the Alpha in question decided not to spend the Heat with the Omega, and they decided to allow other Alphas to use the Omega, it would be completely unsatisfying and very painful. It wasn't very common, as most Alphas were very territorial, but in certain terrible situations it did still happen.

Lilia paced up and down the room slowly as she spoke, not looking at the Omegas as they took their notes. This particular lesson was in Omega Etiquette in Public, and Yuri found that the topic didn't come as naturally as others had. His notes were detailed and filled with his own questions on certain parts, that he would eventually ask Phichit about. Lilia hated being interrupted with questions, and not only would she refuse to answer them, but if you were brave enough to ask, you would likely find yourself with an empty plate for the next meal.

"Three feet is the appropriate space you are to keep between you and your Alpha. Any closer and you're in the way. Any further and it is not clear to others that you are claimed."

Yuri wrote this down and underlined 'Three Feet'. He wrote a side note in the margins 'How to tell if you're three feet away'.

"You are never to have your head raised, in public, though you need to keep your eyes peeled to see if your Alpha has stopped or stepped to the side. If you end up beside your Alpha you will be disciplined. If your Alpha stops and you run into them, you will be disciplined. If you lose track of your Alpha and end up walking behind another Alpha," She paused here and looked at them all with severity, "you will be disciplined."

Yuri made another note to ask how to keep his head down and still maintain where your Alpha was. It was at this point that the loud buzzer that alerted them for the next meal, went off.

"When we return from the meal, we are going to discuss proper hygiene, clothing and beauty in public." Lilia said as she walked out of the room swiftly. The class remained seated. It was expected of them to be served last, so when the buzzer went off, the Caretakers and other staff would go to a private meal while the Omega's waited. When the staff returned they would be served meals in their classroom.

Phichit tapped Yuri on the shoulder and smiled when the blond turned to him.

"I'm nervous!" He whispered softly. Yuri glanced around the room and then smiled gently at his friend.

"Don't be, you'll do great!"

Phichit had just turned 17 and was now in his second year at the Omega House. So now he would be allowed down on the first floor after the second meal, where Alphas could go and look at available Omegas. Omegas had to be at least 17 to be allowed on the viewing floor, and at least in their second year of classes.

They had awoken last week, to a note slipped under their door addressed to Phichit.

'Next Friday, Omega Phichit_ is expected in the Viewing room at 1pm for Alpha Viewing'

It had been excited for two reasons: 1. it meant that Phichit would now have the opportunity to find and land his Alpha and 2. It now gave them a good idea of the date.

It was something that had bothered Yuuri ever since he had arrived. He had a vague idea of what month it was, but the days were getting mixed up. Even though nothing exciting would happen for Holidays or Birthdays, it was still nice to at least know when they were.

Phichit had explained earlier that Omegas received Viewing slips on either their second year anniversary (if they had already turned 17 before they had been at the House a year) or on their 17th Birthdays. Since Phichit had been at the House for over a year, it meant that this slip was on his birthday. Which he knew was April 30th.

"What if an Alpha chooses me today?!" Phichit said nervously. He and Yuri had been discussing this over and over for the past few weeks. Originally it was interesting to discuss the possibilities of Phichit finding an Alpha, but it was beginning to get on Yuri's nerves by the end of the week. He understood the anxiety of having to face the prospect of being with an Alpha for the rest of your life, however, and tried his hardest to maintain a calm, soothing presence to his friend.

"Then you'll go into special classes and know what your future has in store." Yuri said gently.

"What if the Alpha is terrible?"

Yuri grinned and shook his head. "Your Alpha is going to be amazing, Phichit. They're going to be kind and thoughtful and extremely attractive."

Phichit looked as though he wanted to say something else, but instead he just chewed his lip and put his head on his desk.

Yuri turned back around to face the front and looked down at his notes. He'd probably need to ask Phichit his questions a little later. Once his first Viewing was over and his mind was a little less preoccupied.

/

Yuri had given Phichit a thumbs up when the meal was over, and he watched as the older Omegas made a line in the classroom and then marched down to the Viewing as they did every day. He smiled as the door shut behind them and prayed that Phichit would enjoy his first Viewing.

He spent the rest of the day trying to fight off daydreams of what Viewings were like in person. By the time he made it back to his dorm, he was positively itching with question for his friend. He wasn't kept waiting too long to get his answers. Barely an hour after classes let out, Phichit arrived back in their dorm with an exasperated look on his face.

"Phichit! What was it like? Did you see anyone interesting?" Yuri said, darting from his bed excitedly.

"It was…" Phichit struggled for the words and then shook his head, "like being a goldfish."

"A—A goldfish?" Phichit nodded. "

They put us in this room with tables and games and stuff, and one whole wall is made of glass. It was obviously one of those double sided mirrors and some of the other Omegas said that if an Alpha likes you, they can have you taken to a 'private room' where they can get to know you better." Yuri felt his face fall from excitement to disappointment. He wasn't sure what he had thought the viewing would be like, but he had a vague picture of lavish gardens and Alphas walking around politely watching as Omegas did normal things with their friends and classmates.

"Did you—" Yuri nodded to finish off his thought and Phichit shook his head gratefully.

"No." He said with a shake of his head. Apparently weekdays are slow, so it wasn't likely an Alpha would have seen me and liked me today anyway."

"Seems like a waste of time. Why don't they just open the viewings on the weekends then?" Yuri asked, climbing under his covers. Phichit shrugged and did the same, pulling his covers up just as the lights went out and they were shrouded in darkness.

"Night, Yurio."

"Goodnight, Phichit."

"Yurio?"

Yuri tossed, panting softly as sweat poured down his face soaking his shirt and causing him to shiver slightly.

"Yurio?!"

His eyes opened, breath gone and temporarily blinded by the darkness of the room. His panting filled the small room and he ruffled his own hair as he steadily remembered where he was.

"I thought they had stopped." Phichit said gently, reaching over from his bed and handing him a glass of water. Yuri took it gratefully and downed it in one gulp. He gasped as he swallowed and shook his head in a confused motion.

"I thought they had too." He responded softly. His breathing returned to normal and he sighed as he sat the glass down on the window sill and laid back down in his bed, pulling the covers up as his cold sweat caused him to shiver.

"Guess we were wrong." Phichit said through a yawn.

Yuri didn't respond. Dreams of Yuuri were already a constant for him, but the nightmares had begun a few weeks after he had arrived in St. Petersburg. They weren't always the exact same, but they all followed the same basic plot: Yuuri punishing Yuri by throwing him into an active volcano or on a train track or into a shark infested ocean. Yuuri was always accompanied by Victor who encouraged the Japanese Omega to "Just do it. He broke your heart, now break his neck."

Yuri closed his eyes and tried to push the nightmare from his mind. Yuuri was no threat to him. When the nightmares first started, Phichit had suggested he talk to the therapist about them. Yuri had brushed off the idea, mostly because the therapist was a ridiculous old man who fell asleep during his entry interview where he was supposed to be assessed as 'fit' for a House. This was a basic interview where an Omega would be asked questions and rated based on their responses. After Yuri had woken the man up for the third time, the man Okayed him for the House simply by saying "You were okay for Salsk so you're fine for here."

Yuri had never been so angry in his life. Not only had his experience been vastly different from other Omega's at Salsk and therefore unable to attest to his readiness for any House, but he had just been through a very real trauma of heart break. And if the old bat had taken the time to talk to him at all, then maybe these ridiculous nightmares wouldn't be happening! But after two straight weeks of waking his roommate up, he finally gave in and went to speak to the man.

Yuri groaned as he flipped over in his bed, trying to get comfortable again. The therapist had given him a crackpot solution to the nightmares. They were coming to him less and less, but he was sure it was more for the fact that time was passing and he was learning to cope verses the idiots idea to 'free his mind' or some shit.

He huffed and flipped back over. He was never able to get back to sleep after his nightmares and he cursed the stupid man for not giving him some sort of pill to block them out. Or at least something to give him a full nights rest.

Idiot man.

He closed his eyes at that thought and evened out his breathing and it wasn't too long before he was breathing softly, lulled between sleep and awake.

The loud buzzing sounded in his ears much too early for his liking, and Yuri growled loudly as he kicked off his covers and staggered out of bed. Wake up call was at 6am, and though he had been rising at the same time every day for the past several months, he still hated it with a passion.

Each hall had it's own bathroom, and each of the 10 dorms per hall had 6 minutes in the shower every morning. So showers were turned off at exactly 7:06 every morning, and by 7:15 if you weren't down stairs in the cafeteria, then you missed breakfast.

Yuri and Phichit's 6 minutes began at 6:36.

"I don't understand why we have to all get up at 6am if we literally don't have to be in the bathroom until 6:36." Yuri grunted annoyed.

Phichit smiled and rubbed his eyes, yawing sleepily and stretching.

"You say that every morning." He said good-naturedly.

Yuri scowled. "I mean it every morning."

It wasn't just the early mornings that bothered him about St. Petersburg. It was everything. He hated the near constant grey sky, the frigid temperatures, the limited space in his dorm, the stupid short showers, the ridiculous classes, God he just hated EVERYTHING about the place.

The longer he stayed, the less he hated the politics of their world, and the more he simply hated St. Petersburg Omega House. With it's stupid sleeping therapist and stupid ban on long showers and stupid lumpy porridge!

He sat back down on his bed and reached over to the wall, marking a space under the window with a pencil. He and Phichit had started a calendar to try and keep up with the date. It seemed so silly that something as simple as knowing the exact date was kept from them, but as they continued to keep up with it, they realized that their classmates were also interested in knowing the date. It was their thing; they were the Calendar Boys.

"Today's October 1st!" Phichit exclaimed excitedly, causing Yuri to jump and scowl again.

He had been at this God forsaken House for nearly six months now. It hardly seemed like cause for celebration in Yuri's mind.

Six months of cold six minute showers, cold food, endless monotonous study, and six months without his beloved Yuuri. Even though he feared his nightmares, he couldn't deny that he secretly craved them. Even in nightmare form, seeing Yuuri and Victor was absolute bliss. He'd suffer the fear and the sweats and the infinite deaths if it meant seeing their faces again.

It was purely out of respect for Phichit that he'd even tried to get rid of them. And he felt a little guilty that he was kind of happy to know that he could still have them.

"Must you do that?" Yurio growled as the older boy vibrated with excitement. Phichit was beaming from ear to ear, and his obvious joy of October made Yuri give one of his exceedingly rare, albeit small, smiles.

"I love Halloween!" Phichit said with gusto. "The decorations and spooky stories, ghosts, witches and the candy!"

It was a little sad that Phichit was so into Halloween. It wasn't like the House put up decorations or had parties of any sort. The older boy's excitement was purely of his memory of the Holiday, and his hope to celebrate it again once he had an Alpha.

Yuri shook his head, hiding his grin as he flopped back down onto his bed. He had almost fully constructed the thought of if Salsk celebrated holidays when he forced it from his mind and grumbled irritatedly "Wake me up at 6:30."

/

November brought with it the first snow of the season, and Yuri felt his heart ache for Salsk. For the first time since he had been reaped, he truly missed his family. He had missed them in general since he had left, but the overwhelming desire to speak to his grandfather, who had raised him like a father along with his mother, was unbearable this time of year.

He had thought of sending a letter to his family several times over the past months, but had never let himself do it. He was sure they would appreciate it, but he had no idea how long he'd be able to stay in contact. As soon as an Alpha chose him he could find himself in the situation where he was no longer able to contact them, and it was always easier to just do a clean break rather than dragging it on and on.

But as he sat in his tiny dorm, looking out of the window and missing everything about home, he almost caved. He had sat down on the bed, pulled out a blank sheet of paper and a pen and wrote:

Papa,

It's been a while. I know you were never expecting a letter, but I wanted to let you know that I am alright. I was transferred to the St. Petersburg Omega House at the beginning of April and have spent my time here learning about the proper Omega expectations. The classes are long, there's a lot of information, and if you misunderstand something it's not explained to you. But I'm alright. Most of this seems pretty obvious to me, and I was told by another Omega that it meant that I was a Natural.

I'm doing as you taught me. I'm not getting attached to anything or anyone, though I do have a nice roommate. He's been here for over a year and has been very helpful in my transition from Salsk, but I'm trying to keep him at arms length just like you told me.

I have at least another year and a half here, and there's no telling when my roommate will be Chosen, so getting close to him seems counterproductive. A lot of things feel that way actually.

I keep finding myself changing my mind on even the most basic things. I'll want to spend time outside and maybe get fit, but what if my Alpha doesn't want a fit Omega? I'll want to read a ton of books and become very well read, but what if my Alpha doesn't want a well read Omega? It's frustrating. And it's beginning to make me angrier than I've ever felt in my life.

I feel angry all the time these days. Angry that I'm an Omega, angry that I left Salsk, angry at the whole world for being this way. But I can't change it. At the end of my time here, an Alpha is going to pick me and I'll be theirs. Being angry isn't going to help me find a kind, or even just a 'not mean', Alpha. So I'm trying to work on it.

I wish I could talk to you, Papa. I miss our farm. I miss the fields and the chickens and the home cooked meals. I miss my pre-presentation life so much that my heart aches from it every time I think about it. So I try not to. And I fail.

I know you won't be able to respond to this, but I hope that it eases your mind.

I miss you, grandpa.

-Yuri

He took a deep breath and forced the tears to stay put. He wasn't going to cry over his feelings. It was too stereotypical of an Omega. And as much as he wanted to be a good Omega, he wasn't willing to let it go that far. If Yuuri had taught him anything, it was that the stereotypes were wrong. Dead wrong.

Yuuri

He felt his resolve break at the thought of his lost - what? Lover? They had never had sex. Teacher? Yuuri was so much more than that. He settled on Friend as the tears finally streamed down his cheeks and onto his letter.

The days passed slowly; class after class, meal after meal, and Yuri's letter remained unsent. He kept it folded up neatly in the bottom of his closet, and he opened it and read it so much that it was starting to feel more like a paper towel than writing paper. He wasn't sure why it comforted him so much, but he kept it just the same.

Days turned into weeks and before he knew it, December had set in. The brisk cold and constant flurries were familiar to him, though his outdoor snow activities were now all but forgotten. He kept his letter on him during classes now, and whenever a twinge of pain struck him, he'd sneak his hand into his pocket and grip the softening paper tightly. Just the feel of the letter was enough to calm him, now.

December brought with it a large round of new Omegas, and the tiny spaces suddenly seemed so much smaller. The hallways were more crowded, the bathrooms were stuffed packed and the classrooms were their own kind of hell; blistering heat, an odor so powerful that it almost knocked you over and absolutely no personal space. Yuri was barely able to take his notes without bumping either of his neighbors.

The meals got smaller with the influx of people. Instead of making more food, it seemed that the staff simply split the portions smaller. And it also seemed that any food that went uneaten was scrapped back into the pot and mixed in with the new food for the next meal.

This lead to a series of different illnesses roaming through the floors, that never seemed to ease. Level 2 came down with a severe cold that spread right through the entire House like wildfire. A week or so after the colds had played out, Level 4 came down with the flu that also spread quickly. Then a wave of some sort of stomach bug made its way through Level 3.

There were two Omegas who didn't make it. With being weakened by the cold, then dehydrated by the flu, they simply weren't able to fight off the effects of the bug. The official cause of death was the bug, but everyone knew it was the poor conditions. They hadn't been able to keep food or drink down for weeks and the lack of medical care had been the tipping point.

Yuri and Phichit watched as their floor mates were taken away on stretchers, their bodies covered haphazardly as the Beta men shoved through the tight halls and down the staircase.

"She came in with me."

Yuri turned to his dorm mate and saw emotion that was so raw, so unnerved and confused, that he didn't even know how to describe it. Phichit's words were soft, eyes wide but not seeing.

"She lived in my village. A few blocks down."

Yuri listened, his eyes moving to the floor, trying to give his roommate as much privacy as possible while still giving his ear to listen.

"She wanted to be a dancer."

Phichit took a shaking breath and then left the doorway and crawled into his bed. Yuri stayed in the doorway, trying to give him space but refusing to leave the room for fear of catching another one of the illnesses going around.

January saw five more deaths, though none from their floor and none that either of them knew personally. It felt the same to Yuri. These people were just like him. Had hopes, dreams, ideas, families. And now, they were dead. Too young, too new to the world to already be leaving, and yet.

Mid January the Staff made a ridiculous attempt to clean the House top to bottom to get rid of the illness bacteria that had caused them seven fatalities. But instead of hiring a real cleaning service the Omegas were expected to do the cleaning themselves.

They were excused from classes and given a chore list. Each floor had a different job. And once the job was done on one floor they would each move down a floor and do it again on that level until they had rotated fully back to their own floor.

All this fabulous idea ended up doing was making the House look clean but spreading the germs from each individual floor to everyone else. The stomach bug had been unique to Level 3, and it hadn't quite run its course as several Omegas still were bed ridden with it. But now, since every level had visited level 3 to clean, each level was exposed to it.

Level 5 had lice, Level 6 had toe fungus, level 7 had pink eye. It was an absolute mess. And by the time February rolled around the House had been closed to visitors temporarily. This baffled Yuri. They were a business and if they had simply made better hygiene decisions, then their business wouldn't be at a standstill. They would make more money in the long run, if they spent the time and money to have the House cleaned regularly.

By the time March, and Yuri's 17th Birthday came up, he was exhausted. His already small frame was so thin, that he looked like he hadn't hit puberty yet. His eyes were brought down by the same bags that Phichit sported, and his hair was brittle though growing longer as no barber had been allowed in the House since December when the illnesses had started.

He had just gotten over some sort of virus that caused him to puke repeatedly for hours on end when Phichit announced that he had been chosen. Yuri wasn't sure he had heard him properly. Chosen? How? No Alphas were visiting the House and hadn't been able to for a month.

"Chosen?" Yuri heard the awe in his voice and he wished he didn't sound so young.

Phichit nodded. "That Alpha I told you about, the one who always had that other Omega with him?"

Yuri nodded in reply. He remembered that Alpha specifically because as soon as Phichit had mentioned he'd had an Omega with him, Yuri immediately thought that maybe Victor had come to get him. Maybe Yuuri forced him to buy him and he'd be saved from this awful place.

But Phichit's description of the Alpha ruined that pipe dream before it really got started. The Alpha had brown hair, tanned skin and was from America. He had apparently been looking for a new Omega for some time and he had immediately taken a liking to Phichit.

Yuri couldn't remember the Alpha's name, but he did know that he was quite young; Phichit had said he was 19 or 20 and came from a very wealthy family who had given him his current Omega as a gift when he first presented. But now he wanted to choose his own Omega.

"That's…"

Yuri wanted to congratulate him. He wanted to tell him how excited he was for him and how he was so very happy that he'd get to leave this place forever and never look back! But in that second he realized what it meant. This was why he wasn't supposed to get close to people. Because they always left. Hadn't he learned his lesson with Yuuri? Apparently not.

Phichit had spent the last four days forcing water down Yuri's throat in between bouts of sickness, forcing the younger Omega to take in the life giving water while his body expelled everything. He was his friend, his only confidant, and he'd be leaving soon.

Phichit nodded at Yuri's silence and his face reflected Yuri's own. "He wants me out of here. He found out why visits were cut off and contacted the owner. He apparently threatened to close the House down for good if I wasn't released immediately."

That was—so sweet. Yuri managed a smile. He was seriously so happy for Phichit. He wasn't even jealous of the Omega, he was simply sad to be losing his friend. Phichit had the unique ability to listen to Yuri go on and on about their mistreatment without huffing and telling Yuri to get over it. He was able to calm Yuri down when his increasingly hot temper got out of control, and above all he was able to make Yuri smile.

"When?" Yuri asked gently.

Phichit shuffled his feet awkwardly. "Three days." He breathed softly, " I don't turn 18 for two weeks, but Leo wants me out of here now."

Yuri blinked and the three days had passed. He stood in their tiny dorm, Phichit's small amount of personal items had been packed and though his side of the room looked much the same, it was so much less.

He watched from their…his… tiny window as his roommate, his confident, his friend climbed into the fancy car of his knew Alpha, and was driven away.

"Bye…"


	6. Chapter 6- Yuuri

Yuuri woke up sprawled across Victor's naked body with the Alpha's arms wrapped around his waist. Victor was on his back and hand his nose shoved into Yuuri's neck, inhaling the scent that the fragrant Omega gave off. Yuuri sighed, his lips curling into a happy smile and he knew his scent had changed from content to joy when his Alpha stirred.

"Morning." Victor cooed gently, pressing soft lips to Yuuri's neck and wrapping his arms tighter around the Omega's own naked form.

Yuuri grinned. "G'morning" He said sleepily.

Victor yawned and dropped his hold of the Omega to stretch and Yuuri felt his own body spread out as well, his muscles cracking pleasantly.

Victor sighed gently, and then rolled the Omega off of his body, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and stretching his back with a loud crack before standing up. Yuuri whined softly.

"Do you have to go today? Let's have a three day weekend." He protested in his best 'sad' voice.

Victor chuckled. "There were a lot of Omegas to gather today."

Yuuri grumbled and then rolled out of their comfortable bed as well. He waited patiently as Victor stood up and walked to the bathroom, but he stood in the door frame, giving the Alpha no privacy whatsoever as he relieved himself.

"Can't you inspect them tomorrow?"

Yuuri had never liked how many hours his Alpha spent in the company of other Omegas. Jealous was such a thin word to describe his feelings. He was absolutely possessive. He didn't mind other Omegas in the least; he just didn't understand why his Alpha had to do the inspections.

Many years ago, when Yuuri had asked that very question, Victor had explained that it was their quality control. Betas were no judge of a good Omega let alone a Salsk Omega. So it had to be done by an Alpha. And he didn't trust his Alpha staff to behave around so many Omegas. Even the ones with packs and Omegas of their own, could be swayed easily by a good smelling Omega.

Yuuri had asked why he wasn't able to be swayed and Victor had just grinned. It was a time honored tradition that the Nikiforov family Alpha's went abroad to get their Omegas. And it was a family 'secret' that getting the Omega always happened when the Alpha had just presented. Yuuri was hand selected to be Victor's Omega. Victor's father had spent four years looking for just the right fit, and when the man had narrowed the search down to five Omega children Victor had been brought to pick from them himself.

So Yuuri wasn't exactly worried about being replaced. He had spent most of his life with Victor and their relationship was strong and solid, but he still hated having his Alpha taken away to visit other Omegas. It was almost insulting.

"If I inspect them tomorrow, won't that cut into your three day weekend plan?" Victor grinned, turning on the shower and motioning for Yuuri to go ahead and use the toilet.

Yuuri grumbled again and padded into the bathroom to pee. When he had finished he pulled the curtain back on the shower and stepped inside. Victor smiled and turned around facing the shower head as Yuuri reached up to massage the shampoo into the silver hair, sighing happily at the moan of appreciation from his Alpha.

After their shower, Victor ordered breakfast to be brought up as he dressed and Yuuri let himself air dry on the bed, still grumpy and pouting as Victor grinned but kept dressing despite his displeasure.

"You could at least pretend to be upset to have to leave me." Yuuri said as Victor pulled on a purple vest and then pulled it off to try on another.

"I could." Victor agreed simply as he pulled on a blue one. Yuuri watched as the Alpha nodded to himself and buttoned it.

"Don't you want me to be happy?" Yuuri whined, a little too thick even for himself.

Victor shook his head, a smile playing at his lips. "Not at all, pet. I want you miserable."

Yuuri rolled his eyes but didn't reply. Whenever Victor started referring to him as 'pet' he knew he was getting a little annoyed. So he just stewed until the breakfast was delivered.

When the knock came at the door, Yuuri walked over and opened it, taking the tray and thanking the maid as he closed the door. When he turned around, Victor was glaring at him through the mirror. He held in his grin. Alphas hated having other people see their Omegas naked, even Betas. But Yuri continued to grin, pretending that he hadn't done anything offensive.

"Breakfast!" He said happily, ignoring the glare.

Victor stared at the Omega for a long moment before he continued putting on his clothes.

"If you want to play this game, pet, I'll have you walk the grounds naked for the rest of the day." He threatened in his most 'don't press me' voice as he buttoned up his jacket.

Yuuri grinned mischievously. "I bet the other Alphas would love that."

Victor growled more unintentionally than as a warming, and Yuuri shivered in appreciation. He absolutely loved getting those growls from his Alpha. The ones that the man couldn't control due to his own possessiveness and love for the Omega. It was kind of a game, if he were honest with himself.

"I'll be good, Alpha. I'm sorry." He said with a soft smile, standing up and running his hand down the Alpha's arm in a sign of submission.

Victor smiled too and shook his head. "I don't know what I' going to do with you." He teased softly, taking Yuuri's hand in his own before placing a soft kiss to the skin. Yuuri shivered again and purred as Victor pulled him in for a soft, chaste kiss.

When they broke apart, Victor was grinning like a fool, and Yuri was sure his own face mirrored his Alpha's. They were disgustingly cute sometimes, he thought with a shake of his head.

He reached over to the tray on the bed and handed Victor a piece of toast. The Alpha took it with a smile and then made a nod toward the lint roller on the counter. It was an Alpha trait to obsess over looks, and Victor was by far, the most obsessive Alpha Yuri had ever known. He sighed teasingly as he walked over to grab the roller and then began rolling it slowly down Victor's jacket.

As they finished breakfast, Victor gave himself a look in the mirror and nodded in satisfaction with what he saw. He straightened his jacket a little bit, checked his cuffs and smoothed his hair back before turning to the side and then around to the other. He smiled again, nodding once and then looking toward Yuuri.

"Alright Okiniiri, dress in those," he nodded to a full black outfit complete with a black Omega wrap that was hanging on the inside of the closet door, "And meet me in my office when you're finished."

Yuuri smiled broadly and jumped up from the bed kissing the Alpha with a giggle. "I'll tell Dmitry to cover my class."

Yuuri usually spent Friday mornings teaching a Special Course Ballet class. It was something they had discovered he had a talent in, and after he had mastered the delicate art, Victor had seen fit to give him a few classes to reside over. It was always easier for an Omega to learn from another Omega, so it really worked out well for them. But on the rare occasions that Yuuri was able to pout his way into spending the day with Victor, Dmitry would fill in for him.

Victor nodded with a grin and then pressed another kiss to Yuuri before breaking apart and heading for the door to start his day.

/

The new Omegas were—so young. Yuuri shook his head as he watched them come in, one at a time, and stand still while Victor looked them up and down and asked them basic questions. He wondered if his voice had trembled as much when Victor chose him, or if he was visibly shaking like these Omegas were now.

As another boy left, with Victor's room assignment, the Alpha made his way back to his desk and leaned against it as he marked on a paper where he had sent the boy. Yuuri stood from his own smaller desk in the corner and strode over to his Alpha, sliding in between his legs easily, and pressing a kiss to his lips.

Victor deepened the kiss, reaching around and squeezing at Yuri's ass cheeks, causing the younger man to moan in appreciation.

"See, you were worried about nothing. " Victor cooed with a kind smile. Yuuri shrugged.

"I wasn't worried at all. I just wanted to be around my Alpha." He whispered, leaning in for another kiss

Victor chuckled petting Yuuri's hair gently andrunning his fingers through the soft, still slightly damp locks as they kissed.

"Are you sure you're not worried?" Victor asked gently, pressing a kiss to Yuuri's jaw and causing the younger man to purr happily at the feel. "You'd be surprised at the quality of Omega that come through this office."

Yuuri snorted and they heard the knock at the door for the next Omega to come in. Yuuri didn't have to be told to move away, he just did it instinctively, moving back to his desk, but standing up against it like Victor was instead of sitting at it properly. Honestly he was starting to get tired of this, and he just wanted to take Victor and go back upstairs, or maybe go for a walk. He really hoped this was the last one.

The door opened and Yuuri watched as an impossibly young looking Omega walked through, eyes big and head turning as he took in the office. Yuuri grinned, he must not have noticed Victor yet, or he'd probably be frozen in fear. So many new Omegas were absolutely terrified of Alphas, and Victor was so domineering that just a look from him usually scared the shit out of them.

He glanced at his Alpha and saw the amusement on the man's face. He must have had the same thought about the young boy not noticing him yet, but he let the Omega walk slowly toward the middle of the room before finally making his presence known.

"Face the door."

Victor's voice boomed through the room suddenly, but Yuuri noticed that the boy didn't flinch, instead he simply obeyed, turning and facing the door as Victor walked up behind him to inspect. The boy was shorter than Victor by over a head, but he had lean and long limbs. Probably not even hit puberty fully.

"Head up."

Yuuri watched as the boy obeyed again, and without a trace of the trembling that the other boys had had. His scent was being masked as well, which was a sign of good natural instincts. He probably wasn't aware he was masking it, but simply doing it.

Victor patted the shoulders, checking the sturdiness of the body. It may have seemed like something unnecessary to others, but Victor had always insisted on checking to see how sturdy an Omega was. And if he was too weak, then he'd always order extra portions of food for that one. Alphas didn't want breakable Omegas. He had said when Yuuri had asked about it.

"Mmm." Victor was pleased with what he saw of this one, and Yuuri watched as the boy's head began to turn. It was slowly, almost as if the boy wasn't aware it was happening and Yuuri wanted to spring forward and shield his Alpha from the other Omega's stare.

But the second the boy locked eyes on the Alpha, his scent unmasked and the room filled with the unmistakable scent of Omega attraction. Normally this smell would immediately create possessive behavior in Yuuri, but the smell was so sweet and so delicious that he forgot about being jealous or protective.

"Close your mouth." Victor said gently but demandingly. And Yuuri shook his head as the smell suddenly released its hold on him. It was still evident, but he felt like it wasn't invading his brain anymore as Victor began circling again.

When the Alpha moved in front of the boy, inspecting the front side more closely, Yuuri caught his Alpha's scent mixed with the boy's and he moaned. The sound made him jump slightly; he had never made a noise in front of guests before, unless asked to, and he was surprised by his lack of restraint and a little worried at Victor's reaction.

"Okiniiri?"

Yuuri sighed internally. The name meant 'favorite' in his native Japanese, and Victor used it when he was happy or when he wanted Yuuri to calm down. So he definitely wasn't angry about the outburst.

Victor gave him a look letting him know he could come inspect the young Omega and he walked forward immediately to not keep Victor waiting. He lowered the boy's arms, which were still up, and pressed his nose straight to the source of that exotic smell. Yuuri nearly groaned as the scent washed over him and the young boy gasped a little.

"He smells good." Yuuri purred. He kept his eyes on the boy, and the head slowly turned to face him. Bright green eyes met his and he watched as the boy dropped his mouth open before snapping it back shut and turning his head back to the first direction.

Yuuri pressed his nose back to the scent glands and inhaled happily. Victor's scent was absolutely euphoric, but there was something so comforting about an Omega's scent, and this one had such a lovely one. He almost moaned again.

"Come now, Yuuri, don't frighten the poor boy" Victor said gently, and Yuuri whimpered as he pulled away. He would have felt ashamed of whimpering normally, but the scent had his head reeling and wanting, and his embarrassment mode was obviously turned off.

"What is your name?" Victor asked, and the boy fixed his gaze on the opposite wall determinedly.

"Yuri Plisetsky, sir." He said, and God he sounded so young. But Yuuri couldn't help himself as he walked around to the other side of the boy.

"Did you hear that, Okiniiri? He has an easy to remember name." Yuuri hummed and pressed his nose to the boy's neck again, not as strong as the side with the scent gland, but still so very wonderful. The boy turned just slightly, leaning into Yuuri gently and letting his small hands grip at Yuuri's arm. His scent was changing from attraction to contentment and Yuuri was on the verge of wrapping his entire body around the boy when he heard Victor's sharp warning voice.

"Yuuri…" Both of the boys pulled away instantly and Yuuri stepped back a few paces to let Victor continue with his inspection.

"Age." Victor asked

"Sixteen."

Yuuri mewled. So young. So very young, but there were no laws against Omegas joining packs at young ages. The only thing was they couldn't be bought before eighteen. And honestly, who cared about that? Because Yuuri didn't want him to be bought, he wanted to keep him right here.

"And you're from Salsk?" Victor continued as if Yuuri hadn't made the sound.

"Yes."

"Hmm." Victor looked to Yuuri and Yuuri smiled, looking back at the blond boy and smiling goofily at him.

Victor sighed and walked back infront of the boy, gripping his jaw and forcing him to look at him. Yuri opened his mouth and then immediately shut it. Good instincts, Yuuri thought again. Already obeying past orders. Victor must have been thinking along the same lines, because he grinned and then spoke gently.

"Tell Zakhar top floor. Room 12." He released Yuri's chin and then walked back to his desk, taking Yuuri by the arm softly and pulling him along.

Yuuri couldn't hide his pleaser at the fact that Victor was going to let Yuri into their pack! For him! It was not lost on Yuuri the irony that he was so possessive with Victor and yet, here he was the one who wanted another Omega. And one with the same name no doubt. He'd have to figure something out about that.

When Zakhar came back inside, to fact check the boy had the right room assignment, Victor had nodded and waved his hand before sitting down in his chair and motioning for Yuuri to come closer.

"Yuuri" Victor cooed questioningly. Yuuri sat down on the floor by his leg and rubbed his face along the soft material there. "Are you getting lonely, pet?"

Yuuri nuzzled deeper, pawing at the material of his pants before shaking his head gently. "No, Alpha."

Victor eyed him. "Then what was that?" He jerked a thumb towards the door, obviously meaning the display the Omega had just put on with the blond boy.

Yuuri whimpered but shrugged. "I—I don't—He smelled so good." He said a little in awe.

Victor shook his head, chuckling softly. "A lot of the omegas smell good. You've never shown interest before." Victor's voice was silk and calm, his hand petting gently at Yuuri's hair.

Yuuri purred at the motion and nodded. "He smelled really good." Unfortunately, Yuuri was completely unable to put into words why he had fallen apart over the blond omega. All he knew was that the blond had walked in, Alpha had been circling him as always and then Yuuri was hit by the overpowering scent of the younger omega.

"The things I do for you." Victor sighed with a smile, petting the claiming mark just below Yuuri's ear. "Go up there after we're done and explain things to him. I don't want him terrified."

Yuuri leaned into the touch of his mark and whimpered softly. "I could go now if you wished."

Victor shook his head. "No, stay here. Give him a bit of time on his own." He smiled down at his beautiful omega and then turned his chair back around to the desk. "No more pets though." He said firmly. And Yuuri nodded, smiling mischievously at himself.

/

Moving up to their room, Yuuri found himself becoming increasingly nervous to formally meet the newest member of his pack, or newest "soon to be" member, anyway. The moment he stepped out of the elevator onto the top floor, he inhaled deeply to get an idea of what the Omega was feeling. He wasn't sure what he was expecting to smell—fear, excitement, anxiety maybe, but "nothing" wasn't what he had in mind at all. A little worried, he walked to their door and inhaled again. Still Nothing.

When he pushed open the door he found that his heart rate had increased and it only continued to rise further when he didn't see the young Omega in the room at all. He wasn't on the bed, not walking around…

Shit

He took a breath and tried to calm himself. He needed to check every place before sending himself into a panic. So he checked in the bathroom. Nothing. Looked at the window, not sure what he was looking for exactly at the window, but still, nothing. He made his way over to the closet that stood next to the fireplace and immediately felt his shoulders droop in releif as he found the boy curled up in a little ball fast asleep in his favorite chair.

Thank God!

As his heart rate went back to normal he bent down and pushed the soft hair out of the boys face. He smelled amazing, like fresh apples and the air after it rained. He inhaled deeply and nuzzled softly at his head, enjoying the fact that he had fallen asleep in his chair.

"Yuri…"

The boy hmphed in his sleep and Yuuri grinned as he said the name again, a little louder. This time he saw the eyelids flutter before opening fully and he smiled down at the beautiful Omega before the boy let out a yelp and tumbled backwards out of the chair. Yuuri watched as the skinny legs and arms sprawled out in an attempt to catch himself, but only managed to get him tangled in the chair.

"Yu—Yu-what are you doing here?" The boy asked, the sound of complete confusing filling his voice along with a tinge of pain and maybe….embarrassment?

Yuuri laughed and shook his head in amusement. "I'm here to tell you what you're doing here."

Yuri stood, and groaned as a loud crack filled the room obviously coming from his back. Yuuri's head snapped toward the sound and found that concern was filling his scent as the boy spoke gently. He tried to push the worry out of his mind as he continued to speak. Obviously he'd show his pain if it were there.

"I already know. I'm going to be trained to be a Salsk Omega."

In the back of his mind, Yuuri thought how ridiculous it was for the boy to think that this was the sort of room just any Omega got to be in. Surely he should have pieced it together by now. Surely his and Victor's scent had tipped the boy off. But he didn't speak about it. Yuri was a newly presented Omega and probably didn't quite understand scents more than 'smells good, smells bad'.

"Nope!" He sang happily, walking closer to the boy and inhaling his scent subtly. God he could get used to that smell. "Alpha is giving you to me."

Yuri's face changed with each obvious emotion. Confusion, concern, fear and back to confusion, all in the blink of an eye. Yuuri giggled at the younger boy and grips his hand. The warmth of the contact was comforting and he pulled the blond over to the bed and sank onto the soft mattress with him.

The confusion was now more than just on the boy's face, it was in his scent, and Yuuri was dying to get the original scent back. He pawed at Yuri's shirt, not trying to get it off, just tugging and releasing, much like a cat with a soft blanket. Kneading was a natural instinct for an Omega and it was also a likely move to release his own content scent and perhaps coax Yuri's scent out as well.

He was careful to release only the calming and comfort scent as he stared into the bright green eyes, and he saw as the sedating aroma began to take effect. Yuri's eyes glazed over slightly, a comfortable smile forming across his young features as his entire body seemed to melt into Yuuri's own.

"Victor is a good Alpha, you'll like him." Yuuri's voice was thick and slow as the younger Omega began releasing his own scent in response. And man, that scent was like nothing Yuuri had ever scented before. It wasn't the same as Victor's; not powerful and strong, but it was calm and soothing in a way Yuuri had never experienced. Something only another Omega could release, he realized.

Yuri's eyes began to flutter happily, and he moved a little closer to the older man as Yuuri wrapped one arm around his waist, still kneading his shirt with the other.

"Alpha…" Yuri said with barely a hint of a question. His words were slow—drawn out, and Yuuri wasn't sure that this was the best way to explain what was happening. With Yuri all doped up on his scent, he doubted the boy would really understand anything. But he couldn't seem to make himself care much. He was so relaxed, so comfortable, and Yuri was so pretty and his heart was doing pleasant little flips every time he caught sight of those bright green eyes.

"Victor." He tried to clarify, moving his head closer to the boy and inhaling happily "Alpha." He inhaled again, deeper this time, pressing his nose directly to the younger boy's neck. "He's going to let you be part of our pack."

He let his eyes fall closed and he moaned softly at the perfectly numb feeling moving up his legs. No wonder Omegas liked other Omegas around. This was euphoric, so different from the comfort of and Alpha but still so very nice.

"You'll have a trial run." He continued sleepily, "To see if we like you. And then he'll claim you." Each sentence was slow moving, and separated by deep inhalation. He found that he couldn't get enough of that apple and rain combination. He was practically drooling.

Yuri nodded, moving his head forward and pressing his own nose to Yuuri's scent gland. Yuuri shivered as his nose touched the sensitive spot and he purred as the young boy released more contented scent along with a deep sigh. The sound of approval made him moan and he moved his head, nuzzling gently before pressing their foreheads together and sighing as he closed his eyes, happily. He knew he should explain more, but he couldn't care less at this point.

/

When Yuuri felt Victor's strong arms wrap around him, his first instinct was to curl into them. The moment he realized he was being pulled away from his new Omega he let out a loud whine. Yuri tried to cling to the older man, and whined sadly as well, and it nearly broke Yuuri's heart as he was pulled fully away and sat into Victor's lap on the floor next to the bed.

"I know, I'm sorry." Victor cooed gently, pressing a kiss to Yuuri's temple. "But you two are going to attract every Alpha in the city with that scent." Victor panted softly and Yuuri's discomfort melted away as the need to please his Alpha took over. He wrapped his arms around Victor's middle and pressed his lips to the covered chest, letting his scent calm down.

"Did you tell our guest what I told you to?" Victor asked quietly, nosing Yuuri's scent glands and causing the Omega to vibrate in pleasure. Yuuri stretched and yawned happily; nodding even though he wasn't sure he had told him everything.

Yuri was still on the bed, arms fallen where they had been reaching for the older Omega. He seemed dazed and a little nervous now that the contented haze had been broken, and Yuuri smiled reassuringly at him.

Victor looked at the young Omega and smiled, shaking his head. "Yuri, do you understand what you're doing here?"

Yuri nodded his head, and then shook it half way through. Victor grinned. And as the Alpha explained the situation, Yuuri watched the Omega's face turn from slight confusion to disbelief as realization dawned on him. Yuuri smiled to himself, a bit sheepishly and then sighed happily as Victor reached up and ran his fingers through the soft blond locks.

"There's a good boy, calm down." Victor teemed gently at the young Omega. Yuri hummed as he leaned into the touch and Victor pressed his other hand to his cheek, and Yuuri recognized the signs of an Omega wanting to submit. Victor really didn't know his own strength.

When the Alpha leaned forward and pressed gentle lips to the blonde's forehead, he saw the shudder run down the boy's spine and heard the soft gasp of pleasure. He knew the feeling, an Alpha's touch was absolute bliss and after the sort of day Yuuri imagined the boy had, having that feeling would be euphoric. The powerful, solid, safety of his Alpha was enough to make a fully trained Omega submit.

"Vitya," Yuuri said gently, pulling the Alpha away gently and causing Yuri to whine again. "You don't know the effect you have. You're going to send him into Heat if you keep that up." He teased quietly. Victor looked shocked at his words and almost immediately realized it was a tease. He grinned at Yuuri and then looked back to Yuri smiling.

"I'm going to get us some dinner. Yuuri, why don't you take our little Yurio, here, outside for some fresh air?" Yuuri smiled at the new nickname Victor had given the boy. It was necessary, obviously, but he hadn't even really thought about it since he actually heard it. He nodded to the Alpha and Victor stood up, grinning at both of them before shaking his head and going to place their order for food.

"Come on, Yurio. I'll show you the gardens."

/

It actually took him a moment to get Yurio calmed down enough to leave the room. He wasn't used to the sedation that came with being part of a pack, and he obviously wasn't expecting to encounter it at this stage in his Omega life. But Yuuri was able to calm him down and they made it down to the gardens where the fresh air would be able to calm the boy down even further.

He was glad that they had been experiencing uncommonly warm weather for March. The gardens were still bare, but buds were all over the place and it was that magical time where it wasn't dead looking but not quite alive.

The grass was green and lush thanks to the caretakers and the little bursts of color on the trees were a stark contrast to the vivid blue of the sky. He picked his favorite garden to walk through with Yurio, and he smiled as the boy's head kept turning this way and that, trying to take in as much of the scenery as possible.

He linked their arms together and let Yurio lead them along one of the stone lined paths. He hadn't thought of himself as being particuarly lonely, but now that Victor had put the idea into his head, he was absolutely sure that he had been just that. Victor was wonderful, and he loved him so much, but the Alpha rarely had time to stroll through a garden with him and there was always going to be something about another Omega.

Yuuri loved helping out around the House with the other Omegas as well, but sometimes it would be nice to have something other than lessons to look forward to. Any time he traveled with Victor or went to functions with him, it was all business. And though the Alpha took care to make sure he was happy, he couldn't deny that maybe he needed just a little something more. And here it was. In the form of a shy little Omega who already was working on stealing his heart.

The stone path lead around the garden and through a grove of trees that were still bare and they were able to see the water feature just up ahead. It was a small fountain with a statue of a beautiful Alpha woman spouting life giving water from her hands as Omega children gathered around her. It was the crest of the Salsk Omega House, but this was by far Yuuri's favorite depiction of it.

They sat on the wall of the fountain, Yurio absolutely brimming with questions about the statue, and Yuuri was only too happy to answer them. Each question seemed to spawn another and by the time Yuuri even thought to look at the time, the sun was beginning to set.

"Oh! We'd better get back to the house! Alpha hates it when I'm late for meals!" He grabbed Yurio's hand and sprinted down the path.

"Is he going to b-beat us?" Yurio's voice shook just slightly but he could hear the determined tone as he spoke. The question itself caused Yuuri to stop mid stride and stare at the boy.

"Of course not. What kind of Alpha do you think he is?" He looked at Yurio cautiously, curious to know why he thought such a thing about Victor. Surely Victor didn't have a reputation like that. Honestly now that he'd thought of it, he doubted Victor had a reputation at all. They were very private, and he didn't usually use his full name in business dealings.

"I—I don't know. I've never met an Alpha. I've only seen a few and they were all…forceful." The boy tugged at his shirt and Yuuri tilted his head to encourage him to continue. "And there are all the stories that you hear about how Omegas are treated and stuff…" Yurio's voice got progressively softer as he continued, until it was barely a whisper.

Yuuri shook his head, grinning broadly as he took the boys hand and continued back to the House. "Well, we'll take care of your limited knowledge of Alpha's starting Monday. But for now, just know that Victor would never hurt me. Or you." It wasn't funny. There really was an issue with the way things were in their world, but one of the great things about the Salsk Omega House was how they trained the Omegas to have a sense of pride and purpose. It wasn't fully unique to Salsk, but it was definitely what they were known for, and their reputation for making Alpha's happy was fully accepted.

He would have to go through the politics of it with the young boy after they hit the basics. He had no wish to overwhelm him, but he also couldn't stand the idea that Yurio thought all Alphas or even most, were 'forceful'.

/

The weeks spent with Yurio were some of the happiest Yuuri could remember. Yurio was a Natural. And not just in the fond sense of the word, but the actual sense. Basic classes were going to be nearly completely pointless with his obvious aptitude for Omega rules. And Yuuri had been teetering on the idea of skipping Basics altogether and going straight into Specialized courses.

His natural curiosity and ability to put things together on his own, really impressed the older Omega. It didn't seem like something that impressive, but Yuuri had seen so many Omegas really struggle with concepts and rules. And he was very aware that the courses were geared toward the less Natural Omega so much so that he knew just how boring Basics were going to be for the boy.

"I don't know, Yuuri." Victor said, scribbling on some papers when Yuuri brought it up to him. "I don't think it'd benefit him to put him ahead of the other Omegas."

Yuuri slipped up onto the corner of Victor's desk and eyed the Alpha for a moment. Victor had been noticeably staying at arm's length from Yurio, something that Yuuri hadn't really recognized until Yurio brought it up, and now Yuuri was starting to wonder why.

Victor sighed and looked up at his Omega, putting his papers down and shrugging. "What?"

"You don't seem overly happy about adding him to our pack, is something wrong with him?" Yuuri said bluntly. No use beating around the bush, not with Victor.

The Alpha sat back in his chair, keeping his eyes fixed on the younger man. "I think—" He trailed off and shook his head, sitting forward again. "Nothing's wrong with him. I just don't think it'd be doing him any favors having him skip Basics."

Yuuri squinted suspiciously at the answer. "As long as he makes you happy, what do Basics even matter?"

Victor glared at Yuuri, clearly annoyed, but remaining silent. Usually the Alpha had no issue voicing his concerns about anything, but for some reason he was being oddly tight lipped over this matter and Yuuri was not happy about it.

"You really don't want him in our pack, do you?" Yuuri hummed accusingly. Victor huffed exasperatedly and stood from his chair.

"It's not that! I just think—" He trailed off again, pacing behind his chair and then stopping to look out the window. He was quiet for a long moment before speaking again "Yuuri, I want you to be happy. And if having Yurio makes you happy, then I'm happy."

Yuuri slid from the desk and walked over to stand beside the Alpha, looking at him intently. "Victor, if you don't want him, then you need to tell me. He won't be happy if his Alpha doesn't want him. "

Victor looked at the Omega with a pained expression. Yuuri held his breath.

"I do want him, Okiniiri." He sighed finally. He took Yuuri's hand and squeezed it gently, letting his face calm into a simple smile. "I'm just a little overwhelmed with all of the extra Omegas coming in. And it's even more frustrating that St. Petersburg is refusing to put the work into making their House safer, and the City is talking about closing it down. I'm swamped with all of the upkeep for us here, and I'm trying to work with a few people there…it's just a bit overwhelming."

Yuuri pressed a kiss to his Alpha's lips. Victor's surprised gasp faded as his arms wrapped around his Omega and pulled him close. Yuuri purred, letting his calming scent fill the air as Victor kissed him softly.

"You're doing a good thing, Vitya. St. Petersburg has been a mess for decades." Victor nodded and then pressed his lips to Yuuri's jaw softly.

"And if you promise that you actually do want, Yurio, then I won't bring it up again."

Victor hummed, inhaling the calming scent and then sighing as his body relaxed. "I promise I do want Yurio." He said firmly, and Yuuri smiled and kissed him again.

"Now about letting him skip Basics…"

/

As the days passed, Yuuri saw the change in Yurio's attitude toward Victor. He saw how the little lessons on persuasion were being put to use, and rather than feeling threatened by the younger boy, he felt immense pride. He would correct certain behaviors when he noticed they weren't getting the reaction Yurio wanted; he would tilt his head a little more subtly, help him pick out the right clothes that would drive their Alpha up the wall and help him in any other way possible.

He was completely convinced that Victor didn't dislike Yurio, though he was completely sure that the Alpha wasn't telling him the full truth. But Yurio was a different story. He didn't know Victor the way Yuuri did, and he felt the need to prove to himself that Victor wanted him. He obviously thought he was doing it slyly, and perhaps Victor was unaware of the Omega's goal, but to Yuuri, it was painfully apparent.

On the day Yurio had "casually" made sure Yuuri had to be out of the room, the older Omega had just smiled as he made his way down the hall. He was sure Victor wouldn't actually fuck their new pack mate, but the thought of it, or anything, happening gave him a shiver of excitement.

Yuuri made his way to Victor's office to give them the privacy that Yurio craved. He should have been giving a lesson, but there was no way that was possible in his current state of arousal. So the office was the best place for him, and he curled up on the floor near Victor's desk with a book to wait.

He loved the small place by the desk. It was close enough to Victor's chair that the smell wafted toward him soothingly; he could see the tops of the trees out of the large windows behind the desk and had a good view of the door, though it wasn't always obvious to visitors that he was present. It was perfect.

He had just gotten deeply intrigued with his book when the door slammed open with a loud bang. He jumped slightly, but remained silent until he realized it was Victor, huffing and angry-though smelling thoroughly aroused.

He rose from his spot and opened his mouth to ask what happened when Victor gripped him by the hips and shoved him against the desk in a rough kiss.

His questions melted away instantly as Victor began tugging and pulling his clothes off. The Alpha's hands were all over him and he purred at the feel. It had been an uncommonly long amount of time since they'd had sex. Victor refused to do anything 'inappropriate' around Yurio and even with the blowjob he had allowed Yuuri to give him in the bathroom a few days prior, they were both antsy.

The last of Yuuri's clothes reached the floor and he shook with excitement as Victor's fingers pressed delicately into him. Yuuri moaned spreading his legs wide to allow the Alpha more room. It really had been far too long, he was tight, and just Victor's fingers seemed so big. His back was shoved uncomfortably into the desk, but Victor's attention was overriding the pain with pleasure.

Victor wrapped his arms around his Omega and lifted him up to sit on the very edge of the desk, pulling his fingers out of his gradually slickening hole and gripping his own painfully hard erection. Yuuri whimpered at the sight, biting his lip as he watched his Alpha line himself up with his now dripping entrance. He wanted to watch as the length disappeared inside of him, but as the head pressed passed the ring of tightness, his eyes slipped closed in pure bliss.

He gasped, long and low as Victor slowly buried himself to the hilt. He felt Victor's lips on his neck and he shivered at the sensation of being filled completely with his Alpha. Victor growled in pleasure and took a slow, shallow breath before pulling out. He took another shuddering breath and then pounding away with relentless need.

Yuuri fought his orgasm, trying desperately to make this last, but Victor knew him too well, knew his body, and just the right angle to go in at, and it was far too soon before Yuuri was withering in blinding pleasure under Victor, his hole clamping down tightly around the still moving cock as his orgasm tore through him.

Victor growled, pumping in harder and faster, giving Yuuri no break between his orgasm ending and the familiar bubble of a second stirring in his stomach.

"Fuck…Yuri…" Victor's words were breathless and pained as he kept going, and Yuuri moved his hips up to meet the pace, his head flying back in pleasure as Victor pulled another orgasm from him, this one causing his dick to release as well as his hole.

"Alpha! Yes!" Yuuri cried as Victor still shoved into him, his pace quickening as his own orgasm began to overtake him.

Victor was sweating now, his hair sticking to his forehead as he continued to press rough kisses and nips to Yuuri's neck and collar.

"Yuri!..God yes!" He groaned as his knot began to swell.

Yuuri was elated at the feel of the knot, catching on his rim and pulling painful pleasure from him. Victor rarely knotted him outside of his Heats, which usually coincided with the Alpha's Ruts, so this was absolute perfection for the sex starved Omega.

As his knot grew too big to pull out, he rutted shallowly until finally groaned loudly, falling limply into Yuuri's body and painted his insides with his seed. Yuuri purred again at the feel. Victor latched onto his mating mark just on his neck and sucked, the pain and pleasure causing the Omega to shiver helplessly.

"Mine." Victor growled possessively. "My Omega. Yuri—"

/

It was a long time before Victor's knot went down, and the Alpha's kisses became less possessive and sweeter as they waited in the afterglow. He moved them to a much more comfortable position on his chair, Yuuri sitting on his lap, legs wrapped around the back of the chair, and they just kissed. And oh it had been so long since they had been like this. Yuuri's heart fluttered happily as his Alpha smoothed his hands up and down his sides, kissed him so nicely that he moaned at the feel, and whispered soft praises to him.

"My beautiful Okiniiri." The Alpha whispered softly. "So pretty, so good for me."

When Victor's knot finally went down, they stayed like that, pressed together in the comfortable chair, scenting each other happily until Yuuri's shivering finally forced Victor to insist they get dressed.

Victor had sat down in his chair and began arranging his desk again after he was clothed, putting things back in their rightful place. Yuuri sat back down in his spot next to the desk, where Victor's content scent gave him a lazy haze high.

The knock at the door was unexpected, but neither of them started as they were both so sated and happily fucked out.

"Come in." Victor said in his booming Alpha voice. Yuuri caught the touch of annoyance there, and it made him smile gently. Victor hated having to work after they fucked. He much preferred the afterglow and lazy cuddling.

Yuuri noted that it was Yurio who walked in and he smiled from his spot, enjoying the view of their soon to be pack mate and the thought that Yurio could very easily smell the sex they had just enjoyed. The boy was silent for a long time and Victor spoke gently to him.

"Yuri…"

Yurio's breath caught and he puffed out his chest and spat the words so fast that Yuuri took much too long to fully understand them.

"I can't be part of your pack."

"What?!" Yuuri heard his own voice saying before he even had a thought as to how un-Omega it was for him to burst into a conversation. He was over to Yurio in a heartbeat, gripping his arm and forcing the younger Omega to look at him.

"I – I can't be a part of your pack," Yurio said again, voice trembling.

"But Yuri, I thought – you seemed – Victor say something!" Yuuri cried out; turning to face Victor and begging him silently with his eyes. Don't let him do this!

Victor said nothing for a long moment, his distress was obvious, and Yuuri wished for once that his stupid Alpha pride wouldn't keep him from showing his feelings. Yurio clearly needed reassurance that he was welcome.

His desperate look of help to his Alpha changed as the silence continued, however; his eyes squinting slightly in a suspicious glare. What happened?

Victor folded his hands under his chin gently as he continued to watch Yuri carefully.

"If this is his decision, then we should respect it, Yuuri," he said.

Yuuri gripped Yurio's arm tightly, ardent to wash Yuri in security and warmth. It was a silent plea. Yuuri stared into bright green eyes, his own eyes beginning to spill tears onto his cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Yuuri," the blonde said as he dropped his head. "I just don't think this would work."

"Why?" His words were soft, confusion and lack of understanding clear in his tone. Why Yurio, what happened? Tell me!

"It just wouldn't," Yurio said; his voice firm and face set in an emotionless stare. Yuuri felt his heart beat quicken, his breathing was ragged, sadness overtaking him. Then he saw it; a flick of the eyes, Yurio's subconscious glance over his shoulder…to Victor.

"What. Did. You. Do!" he hissed out viciously, turning to Victor. He remembered the anger that had been pouring off of the Alpha when he had come into the room. He remembered the roughness of their lovemaking, the almost violent thrusts. He had thought it was due to frustration…but he hadn't realized that something could have happened between the Alpha and Yurio.

Victor was quiet, leaning back in his chair as he looked from Yuuri to Yurio before shrugging. "I offered to make him part of our pack, like you wanted. What he decides is his own choice."

The heat rose to his cheeks in a flash, and Yuuri had to physically keep himself from lunging at Victor in anger.

"And he was so excited! Now he's here turning us down? You did something," He shouted accusingly. "What did you do?!" Yuuri's head whipped back to Yuri, his brown eyes pleading. "What did he do?" Yuuri cried, staring at Yuri with desperation.

The young Omega reached out a soothing hand, clasping their fingers together and gently rubbing his thumb along Yuuri's.

"Alph – Victor didn't do anything, I just – I don't think –"

"Why?! Why wouldn't it work," Yuuri interrupted as his tears flowed freely down his cheeks. This was the whole point of them! The calming way they could sooth each other, the passion they had, the comradely between them! This was why they worked, this was why it was meant to be!

"Yuuri, I don't want this,"

That…was not what he was expecting to hear. His heart panged painfully in his chest, his breathing stopped and he felt his knees wobble. He didn't…he didn't want this…he didn't want them…

Victor was standing beside them in a heartbeat, and Yuuri staggered into his embrace. "B-but I th-thought," Yuuri shook his head in confusion and struggled to breathe. His Alpha's arms wrapped securely around him as his full weight sagged into Victor's form.

"I'm sorry," Yurio said, voice soft and breathy. "I didn't mean to lead you on."

Yuuri whaled in pain, shoving his face into victor's chest. But they were so happy! Everything had been going so well! What possibly could have mislead him so completely! His stomach was in knots, his heartbeat—was it even there? Did he even have a heart anymore? The tears were soaking through Victor's shirt, but all he could manage to do was let the Alpha hold him as he shook violently in absolute pain.

"I'll pack my things," Yuuri heard the blonde say gently. "I can be on the next train to St. Petersburg."

"NO! Not St. Petersburg, please…" he had pulled his face out of Victor's shirt and was staring at Yuri with a painful expression. "V-Vic," Yuuri sobbed as he looked to his Alpha for help. Victor had been working closely on the St. Petersburg House contract. He knew the conditions, and so did Yuuri. It was no place for any Omega but especially not their sweet—not Yurio.

Victor spoke, pushing Yuuri's head back into the comfort of his chest and tightening his hold on the Omega. "Yurio, it's no trouble to keep you here. We can put you into the dorms and have you in classes with the other Omegas by tomorrow."

Yuuri sobbed into his Alpha's chest, curling into the comfort of him and inhaling deeply, trying desperately to pull himself together. Yurio wouldn't stay if he thought it'd cause him too much pain.

"I don't know," Yuri trailed off, still uncertain.

Yuuri moved his head again, looking through bleary red eyes at his lovely, sweet Yurio, body trembling at the thought that they wouldn't be together.

"Yurio, we won't – we won't bother you," Yuuri said through hiccupped sobs. "Y-you can stay and find a good Al-alpha here." The words tore a fresh wound through his heart. The thought of any Alpha other than Victor touching Yurio disgusted him, and he held a heave back as he spoke.

"Yurio," Victor spoke again, voice calm and soothing "Stay," he said finally.

"I don't think…" Yuuri felt his stomach drop as the words trailed off, not saying the actual words, but still so loudly conveying his answer.

Victor wrapped his arms under Yuuri, lifting him bridal style and walking quickly from the room. Yuuri wanted to shout at him. No! I want to say goodbye please, Alpha no! But Victor was quick and it was very unlikely given the state of the Omega that Victor would have allowed him to say goodbye anyway. He'd need to calm down first for even the chance.

By the time they had made it upstairs to their room, Yuuri was even more of a mess than he had been downstairs. Victor laid him down in the bed, the scent of Yurio still prominent on the fabric. Yuuri reached for the pillow the blonde had been using and pressed it to his chest as he turned away from Victor's touch.

Victor climbed in beside him, spooning the smaller man comfortingly as Yuuri choked out sob after sob. They had been so good together! Everything had been going so well! His thoughts continued as he sobbed himself sick.

When he woke up, Victor was still beside him, though he realized his clothes had been changed as well as Victors and the bedding had been as well. He stirred slowly, head pounding painfully as he moved, and he noticed the small backpack that had sat near the door was now gone. Along with several books they had brought for lessons and the coat he had given Yuri as a gift.

His eyes filled with fresh tears and he turned into Victor, waking the Alpha with a start before he settled down and wrapped strong arms around him.

"It's okay Okiniiri, you're okay." He soothed softly.

Yuuri allowed himself to be comforted and he pulled the pillow—the only thing with Yurio's scent remaining on it in the room—closer to him.

Victor pressed warm lips to his head and then sat them up a little further. He had a glass of water in his hands and he motioned for Yuuri to drink. Yuuri opened his mouth and Victor pushed the glass to his lips, tilting gently as he drank.

"What—what time is it?" Yuuri asked hoarsely. He blinked a few times and looked around again, noticing that it was still day light out—though he was sure it had been getting dark when he passed out finally. But he couldn't be completely sure.

"It's 6 in the morning, love."

Yuuri gasped, sitting bolt upright and causing Victor to spill the remnants of the cup on the bed.

"Yurio!" He said, ignoring the pounding in his head and rushing toward the door. "I've got to say goodbye! I've got to see him!"

Victor was faster and was out of bed and blocking the door before Yuuri reached it.

"Okiniiri, he's gone." His voice was soothing and calm, but Yuuri was able to see the pained expression that accompanied the words. "The bus is leaving now." He motioned to the window and Yuuri dashed toward it, making it just in time to see the tail lights disappear over the bend in the drive.

He bit his lip and gripped the window sill to steady himself before Victor was there, allowing him to lean against him for support.

"B-but…"

"Hush, love. I know." The Alpha said gently.


	7. Chapter 7- The Alpha

Phichit's leaving was the cherry on top of the fucking cake. Yuri was so tired of getting close to people only for them to be ripped away from him at the last moment. He was so beyond done now; absolutely no person was getting passed his impenetrable wall.

Three days after Phichit left, the House changed from "Temporarily Closed to Visitors" to "Closed until Further Notice by Order of the City of Saint Petersburg". Three more days and the majority of the staff had been replaced with fresh new staff, with the exception of a few food servers and grounds keepers.

The older, more experienced Omegas didn't really know how to treat these new staffers. They all seemed so nice, but, wary from their past staff, the older Omegas were careful around them just the same. The onslaught of new Omegas that had joined the House right when the illnesses began, were much quicker to trust, and although Yuri wanted to join in the seemingly light new air about the House, he couldn't shake the feeling that the other foot was about to drop.

The changes were small at first, new pillows for each Omega in their bed, scent blocking shampoos in the bathroom; then the changes grew. The Omegas were told that the House was going to be given a meticulous wash down, and the entire population of the House was sent to a local hotel that had been completely booked for them and their staff alone.

Some of the newer Omegas had found this to be fun, and they enjoyed the leisurely days at the pool and hot tub, eating hotel food and watching TV to their hearts content. Yuri had found it aggravating.

He understood why it happened, and he even appreciated that the city was taking an interest in the House's conditions, but why exactly were there no rules at this stupid hotel? It was big enough and had conference rooms, why weren't the younger Omegas taking Basics? They clearly needed them.

Yuri had picked up an annoying shadow called Minami during this 'vacation', and Minami was the walking example of an Omega who needed Basics. He was loud, giggly and much too open with his feelings. Yuri had never been quite as extroverted in his youth, but he could still see a bit of himself in Minami. The hopefulness, the devil may care attitude, but rather than making him want to take Minami under his wing, it just made him dislike the kid even more.

"Yuri!" Minami shouted excitedly on day, waving his arms about. "Come with us to the pool! We're going to have a race!"

Yuri scowled and turned down a hallway to avoid him.

"Yuri! There's a movie in one of the conference rooms tonight! Can I sit with you?" Minami asked, eyes wide and excitement buzzing through his small body.

Yuri hissed before he spoke. "No." He replied angrily. "Even if I were going, which I'm not, I wouldn't sit with you."

Minami laughed and shook his head. "Oh Yuri, you're so funny!"

Minami started seeking him out during meals, sitting across from him cheerily and making conversation. The first time this happened, Yuri had simply stood up, stalking off irritated. The next few times he flat out told Minami to sit somewhere else.

"I don't want to eat with you? Are you seriously so dumb that you can't see that I don't like you?" He said, aggravation evident in his voice.

"Look! I got tapioca pudding! Did you get tapioca? Oh…you have vanilla…did you want to switch? I don't mind vanilla!"

After a few weeks of the ridiculously cheery Omega, Yuri resigned to his fate, and stopped hurling abuse at the kid, and tried the silent treatment. This technique still didn't work, and after a while, he just accepted it. Though he never responded back or played along or made himself available in anyway, Minami simply adopted him.

The cleaning took 2 months, and by the time they returned to the House, it was barely recognizable. The dark gray brick of the outer walls had been power washed and were now a light silvery color. Greenery had been planted all around the building and fresh mulch had been brought in, giving it a lush fresh look with pops of color all around. Several trees had been planted and there was a large amount of construction behind the building that had a very large sign that read: "Coming Soon: St. Petersburg Omega House- Special Courses Building"

Above the doors of the newly washed House hung a very handsome sign that had a simple drawing of three wolves standing next to each other. The middle wolf was a dazzling grey with blue eyes and a massive size difference to the other two. On the left of the middle wolf was a smaller, black wolf standing proudly next to the larger animal. And on the right was a light tan wolf; green eyes staring seductively down at anyone who walked towards the building.

It was a very powerful image for all of the Omegas as they filed off of the bus that had brought them back to their new home. Minami, stood next to Yuri as he studied the image intently.

" Are they supposed to be Omegas?" The young boy asked, wide eyed.

Yuri rolled his eyes at the question. He hated it when Minami asked him questions, but the kid was an ocean of inquiry.

"The outer two are, yes." Yuri said, trying to push his anger aside.

"How can you tell?"

Yuri grunted annoyed at the question. "It's obvious!" He said a little too loudly. "See how large and muscular the middle one is? And then the other two are smaller, more delicate. And they're standing slightly behind the Alpha."

Minami nodded his head but didn't respond other than that, before getting distracted and wandering away. Yuri continued to stare at the new Insignia. It was nice. It actually felt like something they could be proud of.

"Omegas! Gather around the busses please!"

Yuri turned toward the voice and began moving toward the source of it. The young man, a Beta by the scent, was tall, slightly larger build than a typical Omega and had that ridiculous hair style where it was faded on the bottom and full on the top. He huffed under his breath as they finally all congregated around the busses.

"My name is Otabek Altin and I am the new Head of House. There are going to be a lot of changes over the next few months and I need you all to try and learn all of the rules to ensure your safety during this time. "

Yuri squinted up suspiciously at the man. Hardly a man, actually, he seemed very young. Still, he seemed confident and spoke well, and that was something that Omegas typically liked in other people.

"When you go inside, there are new room assignments. If you are not paired with your last roommate, and wish to be, please speak to any member of staff." The man went on with barely a breath, "There is now a dress code."

This was meat with sighs and even a few groans of disapproval from some of the younger Omegas. Yuri felt his stomach clench at the blatant disrespect, and he saw as the majority of the older Omegas subconsciously stepped away from the younger ones.

"Yes I know, poor you." Otabek said in a monotone, "Nevertheless, you will be expected to wear the wraps given to you. Each wrap is color coded to help staff distinguish the Omegas. It will help us keep you safer, so please—no switching."

Yuri could feel the mass sigh of relief from the older Omegas as the Beta—Otabek –simply ignored the disrespect and moved on. That was—different.

"The staff will be wearing robes while on campus, so when you go inside to see your room assignments look for the people in pale blue robes, like my own." He pointed at his robes and then went on. "The color coded emblems will be explained inside so make sure you listen when the staff explains it."

The man looked down at his hands which, Yuri now saw held several papers. "Classes are going to be different now, so when you have your robes, be sure to step aside and go to one of the staff wearing red belts. They will explain the schedules."

This was a lot of new information, and it was beginning to overwhelm Yuri a little bit. He fought to keep himself from getting fidgety and kept his eyes firmly on the Beta speaking.

"The Viewing process has changed as well. Those Omegas who were previously in Viewings will need a briefing. You'll visit the staff with yellow belts." He looked up then and looked at them all. "If you are supposed to be moving to Viewings soon, be patient. With all of the new changes, it may take a little time before we can move you up. If you get confused as to who you need to speak to, just ask any member of staff wearing the blue robes," He pointed to his own again, "And they will point you in the right direction. Alright, start heading inside."

When Yurio made it inside to see his new room assignment he was a little shocked to see that he was now on the second floor, and had a new roommate. He had told himself that a new roommate would be whatever. He wasn't planning on getting close to anyone, period. But it still shook him a little. Being that close to someone physically typically meant that a bond would happen. And he just—he wasn't ready for something like that again. He felt the need to keep himself to himself for a while.

He got into the line where he received his new wraps which turned out to be pure white, just like the other Omega's. The distinctions were the colors of the insignia; his had a green version drawn on the left corner just over his chest. Otabek had explained that the colors were just another way of keeping track of everyone.

The wrap or robe color told who you were in the House- Blue for staff, grey for servers and white for Omegas. Alphas were going to be given black robes upon their entering the House as well.

The different color insignias on the Omega robes meant their age range; blue for younger than 16 year olds, Green for 16-17, Gold for 18-20 and Red for 20 and older. This color code was posted on the halls down on the first floor so that the visiting Alphas would be aware of the color meanings during Viewings.

Minami came bounding up to Yuri with a large grin on his face, squealing annoyingly as he shook his new wraps.

"Can you believe it?! These wraps are beautiful! We're going to look so good in them!"

Yuri rolled his eyes and scowled, moving to step away from the younger Omega, but Minami had different ideas. He stepped back in front of Yuri and tossed one of his new wraps on with surprising grace. The material was some sort of cotton wool blend, but it flowed delicately like silk. It was nothing like he'd ever seen before, and he had to admit that Minami looked very good in it.

"Oh! It's so warm and beautiful! And I love the blue!" He said, bouncing up and down eagerly. Yuri was just about to tell him to calm down when Otabek made his way over.

Up close Yuri was able to tell that he was definitely young, as he had thought, though maybe a few years older. Otabek smiled at the young bouncing Omega and then looked at Yuri, his smile fading just a bit.

"Do you not like the wraps?"

Yuri shrugged. "I haven't tried mine on yet."

Otabek nodded. "The older Omegas all seem a little more subdued than the younger ones about the changes, but I think once your schedules get into a routine, you'll enjoy it a bit more."

Yuri shrugged again, but nodded in a way that said perhaps. Minami caught sight of one of his friends and rushed over to examine their robe closer, bouncing the whole way.

"I guess it's hard to get excited about things once you've had to deal with so much." Otabek continued.

Yuri stared at him. Why was he talking to him? He guessed he was trying to distinguish himself from their previous staff, but it still seemed odd.

"I guess." Yuri responded softly. "I should probably go to my dorm now. We have classes in the morning and I don't want to be too tired."

Otabek nodded and turned away, making his way through the crowds of people without another word. Strange.

Yuri's new roommate was a girl who was closer to his own age. She had shoulder length red hair and gave him a quick nod when he walked into their new shared dorm. He had the intention of saying hello, but the first look at the dorm quickly pushed the greeting from his mind.

"Wow." He said softly.

The rooms were still quite small, but at least double the size of the previous dorms. There were the same small windows, though now there were two and the space between the beds was much more pronounced. His roommate nodded in agreement at his surprised look.

"I think they tore down walls in between every other dorm and made two dorms into one." She said, looking around as she sat on the bed. "It's nothing special, but it's kind of nice to have a little breathing room."

Yuri nodded as he examined the closet that was going to be his. It had enough space for all of his belongings as well as his new robes and still had space to spare. The color of the rooms had been changed as well, from the blank white walls (which had always been stained) to a warm tope color. They now had two bedside tables as well, which each had a tiny lamp on it.

"I'm Mila." The girl said, standing up and extending her hand. Yuri looked at her hand for a moment before extending his own and gripping lightly.

"I'm Yuri." He didn't smile, but he did try to release a friendly scent. Mila smiled at the gesture, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. He immediately felt like this could work. Both of them obviously having been there for more than a few months, meant that they had dealt with the House at its worse. And that meant, to Yuri anyway, that she would understand his reluctance to becoming friends.

/

Getting used to the new routine was slow going. There was not a lights out anymore, though they were told that it was highly recommended that they go to sleep before 9pm. Noise was not tolerated after 8pm, as there were some Omegas who would be getting up earlier than others, still, and they had to be courteous.

Showers were extended to 10 minutes per dorm, though it was still on a timer and would shut off if you went past. There had been no stories of punishment for anyone who wasn't out and dried off by the time the water shut off, but Yuri and Mila were both diligent about being fully dried and dressed well before that happened.

He supposed he would always have some sense of his shower's length after the past year, but he didn't mind it so much, now that they had a bit more time. The shower schedule was much the same as before, but that extra four minutes really helped with the overall hygienic conditions of the House.

Meals were no longer eaten in the classrooms; instead they were lined up by their Caretakers and taken down to the dining hall, which had existed before the renovations, though used only for staff. The food was not the best in the world, but it wasn't the worst either. It was different every day, and hot when they were served, and they even had a few options now, instead of everyone getting the exact same thing.

Several of the Omegas Yuri had known had begun to put on weight, and the glow of health began radiating from most of them. He didn't know it, but he had begun to change too. His weight loss after being sick had been drastic, but the new food, longer showers and better sleep quality had already brought the shine back to his hair and the gaunt grey color of his skin had dissipated back into his normal creamy complexion.

Even with all of the seemingly good changes, Yuri still tried to heed his prior lessons. Mila was kind, and she often tried to talk to him, though nothing as bad as Minami. He wasn't rude—exactly, but he made a point to keep things shallow. Mila was 20, her robes were white with the gold insignia and several months after they had moved back into the House, when the doors opened back for Alphas, she spent most evenings in the Viewing Room.

She commented after her first night back, that it had changed since before as well. The Viewing had originally been a large room where the Omegas would gather and the Alphas would watch from a two way mirror. If the Alpha liked you, they would ask for a private Viewing and you would be taken to a much smaller, private room. Now, however, the room for Viewing was very large, and decorated with book shelves, games and a few TV's. It was connected to an outdoor space as well, so that during the warm seasons the Omegas could go outside and enjoy the weather.

The Alphas were let into this room, where they could interact with the Omegas. This, Mila had explained, gave the Omegas a little more power.

"If you see an Alpha that you like who isn't really speaking to anyone, then you can go over and say hello. Not like before where the Alpha was the one who did all the picking."

Private Viewings were discontinued though there were smaller rooms where an Alpha and Omega could go to have more privacy, but the Omega was always accompanied by a member of Staff, and they were able to leave whenever they wanted.

It wasn't long after they House had been reopened to Alphas that Mila had been chosen. She was of age and therefore able to leave immediately, but her Alpha had requested she stay and take some of the specialty courses that would be starting up in a few months. In the mean time, she and her new Alpha, Sara, were able to have private meals together, go on walks around the House and even go out into town—with a Beta staff member, of course.

Right around the time Mila was taken out of Viewing, Yuri received his slip that allowed him access to the Viewing Room. Upon receiving the slip, Yuri had been asked to go to Otabek's office for an evaluation.

It was complete DejaVu as he entered the large office on the main level. The desk, the windows, the ornate rug—it all reminded him of Victor's office, though he noted with bittersweet feelings that the scent of the strong Alpha was nowhere to be found.

"Plitsetsky." Otabek's voice was calm and confident, as it always was, and Yuri came into the room slowly, standing just in front of the desk.

"Have a seat, I just have a few questions for you."

Yuri sat down opposite the Beta and tried to keep his scent from perturbing anxiety.

"You're a transfer from Salks Omega House, yes?"

Yuri nodded, trying to keep the pain from his features at the memory of his brief time in Salsk.

"And you transferred here, a little over a year ago." It wasn't a question this time, but Yuri nodded again.

Otabek flipped through some papers and then looked intently at a specific section, reading it silently before looking up to meet Yuri's gaze.

"Are you comfortable moving from only classes to Viewings as well?"

Yuri hesitated. He was definitely ready to get out of this place. Even though the changes so far had seemed so nice, he couldn't deny his want for an Alpha. He'd be 18 in a little under a year and that meant he'd start having Heats.

"Yes."

Otabek stared at him for a long time; his eyes baring down onto Yuri almost like a physical force.

"Okay." Otabek sat back in his chair and folded his arms together gently. "You will be excused from afternoon classes to go to the Viewing Room." He reached over and handed Yuri a thin folder.

"This contains all of the information you need to know. Rules, regulations, and how to handle yourself around Alphas. If at any time, you feel like you don't want to continue going to the Viewing Room, you can speak to any member of staff and we'll remove you from Choosing Choices."

Yuri nodded as he took the folder, placing it in his lap delicately before taking a deep breath and looking back to Otabek. The Beta smiled at him kindly and then motioned for him to rise.

"If you have any questions, please ask a staff member or myself." The Beta said as he ushered Yuri out of his office. "We'll have another evaluation when you are of age. Until then, you're all set."

Yuri nodded again, standing up slowly and making his way back to the door. Everything about Viewing seemed so…professional. Which he supposed was a good thing, but it seemed to go against his primitive nature. Part of him wanted an Alpha to see him and just go nuts over him, refuse to be parted from him. He wanted the Alpha to just lose control and really just go for it.

He turned back to Otabek before he reached the door. "Thank you, Mr. Altin."

Otabek had been looking at some papers, but at Yuri's words he looked up and smiled, nodding his head once before looking back down. Yuri wasn't sure why, but he thought he liked Otabek.

/

Mila had been so ridiculously excited for him to go to his first Viewing. She was almost as bad as Phichit had been, though obviously she was only excited for him.

"This new way is so great. You're going to love it! Even if no Alpha seems interested, there are games, and outdoor time, and T.V! And there's no way that you're not going to grab an Alpha's attention. You're so pretty." She said matter of factually.

Yuri scowled. He didn't mind being called pretty exactly; he just didn't like being auctioned off before he really even got started. He didn't really want to find an Alpha his first Viewing. Sure he liked the idea of an Alpha seeing him and losing control, but that was a fantasy. Reality was, an Alpha would be the end of his freedom. Even a nice Alpha. And as his first Viewing grew closer, he could feel his freedom slipping away.

It was actually a silly thought. He had no freedom. As an Omega his lot in life had been predetermined and there was nothing he could do to change it. He was at the mercy of those around him—always, and his main goal in life was to find an Alpha who would protect him as well as treat him decently well. That was it. Nothing else. But these past few months under new management had given him a taste of what he remembered from Salsk. Being an Omega and somehow, miraculously being free as well.

He stood up, startling Mila from her babbling. "I think I'm going to go skate."

Ah Skating.

The new Special Courses Building had taken 4 months to open. It still wasn't fully finished, but Otabek had insisted that it be safe for use sooner rather than later. The building itself was massive, at least the size, if not larger, than the House itself. It had regular classrooms on the upper level where Omegas could learn language, politics, art, healing, cooking, and other such basic trades, but the bottom levels had activity rooms where the Omegas could learn special skills. There was a pool, a rock climbing wall, a kickboxing ring and an ice rink. They had all been gathered for a tour of the new building upon it's unveiling and the moment they walked past the shiny platform of the ice rink, Yuri had stared at it in awe.

It was like discovering something that you never knew was missing, something that his entire being had been screaming at him to find, yet he was unable to place the pieces together until he finally sat eyes on it. Skating called to him, like a lovers voice; softly and inciting.

It hadn't been difficult to request rink time, either. Once he asked a staff member, they had checked his file to make sure he was at least 17, and his medical history. Then it was simply a matter of making sure he wasn't skipping classes or interrupting classes. He was given a pass that had the day and time frame for his allotted skate time, and the rest was history.

Shaky at first, but slowly becoming more comfortable, Yuri skated. He skated so often that Otabek had signed off on a special pass that would allow him in the rink any time as long as it wasn't during one of his classes or a class for those studying ice skating as a special course. It turned out that ice skating wasn't a typical area of study, so Yuri ended up being allowed to skate pretty much any time he wanted to outside of his own classes.

As he bounded toward the ice rink after leaving Mila in their dorm, he could feel the familiar pull in his stomach, the pull to the ice, calling his name, begging him to skate. He walked through the Special Courses doors and headed down toward the ice rink. The woman working at the counter smiled at him as she handed him his skates.

"Back already, I see." She said, making small talk. Yuri didn't smile at her; he simply nodded as he took the skates and then headed toward the changing rooms without a word. He made little work of changing his shoes for skates, and before he knew it, he was taking a deep, calming breath; letting the coldness from the ice roll over him as his blades hit the solid water.

Skating was euphoric for Yuri. After the falling, the getting back up, the learning to stop and go faster, learning to go backwards and twirling around, after the basics and a few tricks, skating was like breathing. The familiar scratch of blade on ice soothed his anxiety ridden mind, and he held his arms out casually as he swayed from side to side.

There was no music, but he didn't need any. He let himself zone out, imagining that he was on a lake back home, surrounded by gardens and trees and perhaps a large House in the background and a beautiful Omega and Alpha watching from near by.

Even thinking of Yuuri and Victor didn't seem as terrible while he was skating. Vaguely he was aware that simply enough time had passed that he could think about them without it shattering him, but his fantasy while on the ice just made it seem better all the same.

He turned his skates slightly, making a smooth turn and gliding up the ice easily. He pictured that it was spring, the gardens in full bloom with the aroma of honeysuckle filling the air, birds chirping and laughter coming from afar—it didn't matter that ice wouldn't be on the lake during spring, because he could honestly give two fucks.

He let his eyes close and he maneuvered his skates so that he was going around and around in tight circles, keeping his arms out and swaying gently to the inertia. God he loved skating. He could honestly skate forever.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, he felt the beginnings of a dizzy spell hit him and he opened his eyes, wobbling slightly before bringing himself to a full stop. He was panting, sweating a little, but still feeling so much better than he had before, when a clapping sound boomed across the ice.

He looked toward the source of the sound and he froze in place.

"You're really good at that." The man said, walking up to the wall and leaning against it.

Yuri immediately recognized the scent of an Alpha and he struggled to keep his scent controlled. Yes, it was a bit odd to find himself alone with an Alpha, but the man didn't seem threatening. His scent was calm, not aroused and he had a wide smile on his face as he stared toothily at Yuri.

"Thank you." Yuri said in a monotone, staying toward the middle of the ice.

"How long have you been skating?" The man asked, still leaning against the wall. Yuri was grateful for that. Sudden moves would only make him anxious and he didn't want to offend the Alpha, but he also didn't want the man moving near him.

"A few months. Since the new building opened." He elaborated. The man nodded and then turned, slowly, looking around.

"It's very nice. They must have spent a fortune on this place." Yuri recognized the intentional break in eye contact.

With his back turned, Yuri suddenly felt safe enough to head toward the exit of the rink. He skated over to it and then glanced toward the man, checking to make sure he was still facing away. The man was older, but not by too much. Yuri put him in his late twenties, close to Otabek's age. He was tanned skinned; blue eyed and had a hair cut very similar to Otabek's. All in all, he wasn't a bad looking guy, and Yuri really did appreciate the subtle moves to make him feel more comfortable.

The Alpha kept his face pointed away from Yuri as he sat down on one of the benches and switched his skates for his shoes. And when Yuri was finished, the man glanced at him, but made no move to come closer.

"So do you have an Alpha asking you to take skating courses then?"

Yuri eyed the man. It probably wasn't considered forward to ask such a question, they were in an Omega House after all, but it still felt a little too personal. He wasn't sure how to react to it. So he just stared at him.

The silence stretched way passed awkward when the man finally raised his hands in a defeated gesture.

"Okay, my bad. Too soon. How about a name?" He asked, putting his hands down slowly.

Yuri eyed him again, though he really had no issue with giving his name. But he still didn't like how the man had just jumped the gun about asking about an Alpha. So he still remained silent. The man chuckled, shaking his head and backing up just a bit.

"Well, you're a chatty one."

Yuri made an angry face and then grabbed his skates heading back to the counter to turn them in.

"Oh hey, come on, I'm sorry." The Alpha said, following him quickly. "I didn't mean to offend, I was just teasing."

"Well don't." Yuri hissed as he stomped toward the counter.

The Alpha caught up to him, breathing a tiny bit heavier than normal as he walked to stay side by side with Yuri's quick pace. "Well look, how about I don't tease you if you be a bit more open with me?"

"Why would I be open with you?" Yuri spat angrily, "I don't even know you."

The man opened his mouth to reply, but at that moment the staff member behind the counter popped into view and she smiled at them as they approached. Yuri glanced at the Alpha angrily before stepping to put his skates up.

"I'm sorry sir, are you here looking for someone in particular?" She asked as she took Yuri's skates, keeping direct eye contact with the Alpha.

The man shook his head and looked around the rink again. "Just came to see how nice this place is now. Ran into this one while he was skating." He said nodding toward Yuri.

She nodded and smiled at Yuri. "Well I'm afraid I can't allow you to be alone with him. He's not officiated for Viewings yet."

Thankfully, the Alpha didn't push. He held up his hands in that same defeated gesture as before, and stepped away slowly.

"Absolutely! No problem, whatsoever. I need to get back to my hotel anyway." He looked at Yuri then and smiled. "It was very nice watching you skate. It was very nice." The Alpha's tone was sincere and it threw Yuri off having an Alpha be so compliant about the rules of the House.

It hadn't been a secret that many Alphas had disliked the new rules under the new management. The respect Omegas were allotted, the safety measures—a lot of their old Alphas flat out refused to abide by them, and therefore were no longer allowed inside. But this Alpha…he didn't seem to mind. He had been a little cheeky, that was sure, but he hadn't actually frightened Yuri, and he had taken the staffers first hint when being told to leave him alone.

Yuri glared after him as he walked away and out of sight. There was something strangely familiar about that Alpha.


	8. Chapter 8- Victor

Yuuri's sobs were becoming a part of Victor's nightly routine. He had been aware of how much his Omega had liked Yurio, but he honestly couldn't understand how two weeks had merited this much pain.

That's not entirely true. He did understand to a degree. As soon as he had laid eyes on Yuuri, he had been done. If anyone had even tried to take Yuuri away from him, even at those early stages, he would have ripped their throats out. But that was the bond between Alpha and Omega; they complimented each other so completely. But the two Omegas bond…that truly baffled him.

Victor maneuvered his body, and pulled the quietly sobbing Omega into his chin, tucking his head carefully into his scent glands and wrapping his arms securely around him.

"Shhh shhh, its okay, Okiniiri, I'm here." His voice was low, soothing and soft as he tried to comfort his Omega. There was a lot he wished he could change about this whole situation, but not being able to console his Mate was by far the most concerning thing.

He ran his fingers through Yuuri's hair and slowly slowly the sobbing quieted. He fought the urge to sigh, scared the sound might wake his Omega and start the distress all over again. Instead he nuzzled the top of Yuuri's hair, inhaling deeply before letting himself drift into a light sleep.

His mind had just stopped racing with thoughts when he felt a jolt in his arms. His eyes shot open and he hastily released the struggling Omega.

"Don't touch me!" Yuuri cried, shoving away from him and rolling out of the bed. "Who asked you to move me?"

Victor sat up in the bed and sighed, frustrated. "Yuuri, I'm not going to let you sleep on the ground. You'll do something to your neck." He said in as calm a voice as he could.

Yuuri glared at him through red eyes, tears already pooling down his bright cheeks. "I don't want to sleep in your bed! If you're really so concerned then let me move into a dorm."

Victor made a pained expression. This was the argument they had been dancing through for two weeks solid, ever since Yuri had left. And as insulting as it was for an Alpha to be turned down by an Omega, it was even worse since he and Yuuri were Mated. The agony of hearing his Mate tell him he didn't want him, the torture of having to sit through his Mate's pain—it was complete torment.

"I will not have you so far away from me, Okiniiri." Victor said pushing the covers off and standing up as well. "I'm going to make sure you're taken care of whether you like it or not."

Tears flowed easily down Yuuri's face and Victor ached to wipe them away, to kiss his Omega and hold him tight.

"For the record, I don't like it! And I don't want it! Just leave me alone." His words were beginning to crack and shake and Victor took a step near him only to have Yuuri back away with a hiss. A hiss!

His own Omega had just hissed at him and Victor had to look away to keep from showing his pain. He had no right to be so hurt, he knew why his Omega was angry, and he even understood it to a degree, so he had to be strong for him.

"Yuuri, please…" He reached a hand out and Yuuri jerked away even though they were nowhere near close to each other.

Yuuri didn't respond other than the move and instead walked back to the spot just under the window and curled up, fresh sobs pouring from him and the scent of mourning rolling off of him in drones.

He was going to have to fix this. He was going to have to get over—whatever the hell his problem was, and he was going to have to get Yurio back. He gathered up a pillow and one sheet from the bed and rolled them into an easy to carry bundle. He walked to the door and looked back at his poor Omega, shaking his head before making his demand.

"Yuuri, stand up."

The Omega obeyed, though he was absolutely shaking with rage.

"Sleep on the bed." Yuuri's shoulders dropped slightly as he seemed to realize what was happening, but he made no attempt to stop it, he just watched as Victor closed the door behind him. Victor knew he would obey and he felt no need to seal the command with further action. It was bad enough that Yuuri wasn't eating or drinking, he refused to have him uncomfortable just to make a point. So he'd sleep in his office.

/

Victor was awoken by the sun streaming harshly into the large windows of the office and he groaned as he flipped over on the uncomfortable mattress he had stolen from one of the dorms. He'd have to put an order in to have new mattresses made, but first he needed to make sure Yuuri ate something.

He made his way, painfully, upstairs and to their door, knocking softly before opening it and peeking his head inside. It smelled like distress and mourning and it hit him so strongly that he couldn't help as he walked over and knelt beside his sleeping Omega.

He ran his fingers slowly through the black locks and he smiled despite himself as Yuuri nuzzled into the touch. Oh his poor Omega.

He stayed like that for too long probably, just letting Yuuri get comfort from his presence subconsciously, because Lord knows he wouldn't allow the comfort while he was awake. But eventually Victor sighed, moving his hand and whispering softly to his Omega.

"Yuuri….Come on baby, wake up." His gentle coo's took a while but when Yuuri finally fluttered his eyes open, he made a show of stepping back to give him space.

"I had Cookie make you a fruit tray. I want you to eat at least three mouthfuls and I want you to drink every drop of water in the jug."

Yuuri made to speak and Victor held up his hand. "Yuuri, I'm not backing down on your health. You can be mad, and I will stay as far away from you as you want during the days and evenings but I will make sure you're taking care of yourself."

Yuuri shut his mouth in an angry pout and Victor just wanted to go back over to him and hold him…just for a minute. But he shook the thought from his mind and waited in awkward silence until the fruit tray arrived a few moments later.

Victor thanked the maid as he took it and he brought it over to Yuuri, letting the Omega sit up in the bed before placing the tray on his lap.

Yuuri downed the jug of water much too quickly and shoved three handfuls of grapes into his mouth before swallowing and shoving the tray onto the floor. The Omega turned defiantly away from Victor and pulled the covers over his head.

As the varieties of fruit rolled every direction on the floor, Victor sighed and shook his head. He made a move toward the door, planning on having a maid come clean it up, but changed his mind last minute and knelt to the floor himself to begin gathering the soiled food.

As he began to clear, he made his way toward the bed to gather what had fallen under it and he could make out the soft crying from his poor poor Omega. He swallowed thickly and continued his cleaning and was pretty sure he'd found all the stray fruit when he heard the angry but soft spoken words.

"Won't stop me from just throwing it back up." It was mumbled and so defiant that he had a flashback to when they were teenagers and throwing fits about their parents.

"Yuuri Nikiforov I swear if you so much as—"

Yuuri flipped over, throwing the covers off of himself and staring red eyes into blue. And man, if looks could kill…

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" He bellowed angrily. "Never call me that again! I don't want to be a Nikiforov! I hate being your Omega and I hate you!"

Victor shattered.

His tears flowed hot and thick down his cheeks and he could feel the anger pooling through his body as his Omega spoke. He moved slowly, his face inches from Yuuri's. He could see the fear glinting in his Omega's eyes as the younger man wondered if he'd gone too far. He took two breaths and then spoke so low that Yuuri had to strain to hear him.

"You…are my everything, Yuuri. And I will always call you Nikiforov. Until the end of time."

Yuuri's breathing increased, his eyes turning from fear to sadness to anger and back again before his own tears spilled over. The Omega whipped them away furiously, wailing brokenly as he finally, finally let Victor console him.

Victor wrapped his arms around Yuuri's shoulders, slipping into the bed, and leaning his body into him. He couldn't let it stay like this. He was going to have to figure something out, but he couldn't think about that too much because for the first time in over two weeks, Yuuri was tucking himself under his chin and openly receiving his comfort.

/

It was a long time before Yuuri had cried himself asleep, and Victor couldn't make himself move away. He sent a text to Zakhar and told the man to come to his room as soon as possible.

"Have you found those applications I asked for?" Victor asked in a soft voice.

The Beta nodded and walked toward him, handing him a neatly packed file. "I took the liberty of going through them for you, sir. The three on top are the most qualified and the top one is my pick."

Victor nodded gratefully. When Yuuri had first gone into his depression, Victor had immediately sent to have an assistant hired. Zakhar refused to hire just anyone, and insisted on a long, grueling application process. When Yuuri's depression had turned sour towards him, Victor had tossed the applications aside, in the thought that throwing himself into work would be helpful for both of them—give them space and such.

But now—with Yuuri finally beginning to let him back in, he thought perhaps having an assistant would be a good idea after all.

"What's so great about this top one?" He asked, looking at the file.

Otabek Altin.

"He's from a long line of Alphas, sir. Raised to be one, and then presented as a Beta. He has the presence of an Alpha with the biology of a Beta. He's smart, cool headed and a hard worker."

Victor eyed Zakhar suspiciously. "Sounds like he's already been in for an interview."

The old man nodded once, his facial expression staying deadpan. The man had absolutely no shame in what he did, because he was old enough to know that what he did always seemed to be the right thing. And Victor had grown to count on him for so many things, that he wondered for a moment if it wasn't the old Beta who actually ran things around here.

He shook the thought aside. Of course it was! Zakhar was his rock. He wasn't even sure what his job was officially—he thought that perhaps sometime the man had been a grounds keeper, but he had simply been in the right place at the right time enough times that Victor had soon started requesting the man's help for little personal jobs here and there. Over time Zakhar had just become something of an advisor.

"And…" Victor prompted slowly.

"I interviewed the top 5, sir. The top 3 were the best suited and as I said, I preferred the top." The man said again.

"So you've left the choice completely up to me…" He asked suspiciously.

"Of course sir."

Victor eyed the man for a moment and then shrugged, handing the folder back. "Hire the Altin one, then. I trust you."

Zakhar nodded and then headed back toward the door. He stopped when he reached it and turned back before leaving. "He's in the small office adjoined to yours whenever you're ready to meet him, sir."

Victor forced the laugh to cut off, not daring to wake the Omega still curled into him.

/

Otabek proved to be capable and very intelligent. By the time Victor had finally come down to meet him, he had already come up with his own filing system, had three new Omegas already settled in their dorms and had a report ready for Victor.

"This is…very thorough work." Victor said, masking his pleasure poorly.

Otabek nodded and gave just the hint of a smile as Victor flipped through the report.

"Very detailed, and organized."

Victor sat down at his desk, putting the report down and staring at the man. He hated the idea that people judged others based on appearance alone, but he had to admit that he liked the look of the guy. He was sturdy and solid, obviously the upbringing he had molded him. But he wasn't proud—that was one of the biggest issues with Alphas in business, they were all too proud to admit to anything, not to admit they needed help, or that they were wrong or—anything! But Otabek wouldn't be that way. Not with his Beta status.

Victor nodded, satisfied. "Otabek, I know you've already been hired by Zakhar but welcome aboard." He said holding out his hand. Otabek took it and gave a firm shake.

"I'm happy with your system here, but I still want you to work under me for a while. Just to give me peace of mind if I ever have to step away from the job."

Otabek nodded, but didn't inquire as to why he might need to step away. Victor liked that too. He had a good feeling about his new assistant.

/

The next few weeks were an absolute nightmare for Victor. Yuuri's grief hadn't settled at all, and though the Omega was a little more willing to allow him to comfort him, he was still distant. As much as Victor tried to ignore it, it was becoming increasingly difficult to hide the fact that his own distress was taking a toll.

His hair was beginning to thin, and he could see the bags under his eyes begin to form from lack of sleep as well as constant distress from his Omega. It wasn't Yuuri's fault of course, there was just no way around it. When a mated person experienced distress it was together with their mate—always. It was one of the reasons being mated was so special and serious. There was no going back on it, a fight wasn't going to break it up, no matter how much one of them might say they want it. There was simply no way out of a mated pair.

Yuuri's lack of appetite continued, and Victor still had to demand he eat and drink, but the threats of making himself sick, stopped. And there were no more tantrums that ended with fruit on the floor. Though Yuuri still had plenty of tantrums to speak about.

He tried to burn his chair in the fire place, claiming that it was the last place Yurio had sat before he had left. He broke a window by throwing all of Victor's expensive cologne out of it, saying that covering up his scent was a crime and if he truly loved him he'd get rid of the damned things. He left the water running in the bathtub while passed out—though Victor wasn't sure this was a tantrum. The Omega claimed that he'd simply fallen asleep, but Victor made a point to never leave Yuuri alone after that.

It was utter Hell. His Omega was distraught, he had no way of consoling him, and he was actually part of the issue; he was losing weight, and he had still made no headway with actually trying to get Yurio back.

By the time he felt comfortable leaving Yuuri (with someone else keeping an eye on him), he was so grateful for Otabek that he nearly hugged the assistant when he saw that all of the new Omegas had been sorted out, and that the Special Course Omegas had also been handled.

Assistant really wasn't fair; Victor made a mental note to change the title to Deputy Director whenever he first got the chance. He had kept his reasons vague for needing help, but Otabek didn't seem to have any interest in it at all. He simply nodded and told Victor that he could manage for as long as he needed him to.

And that was just what Victor needed to hear, even though he still wasn't completely sure where Yuuri stood, he had a feeling that it was going to take a while to fix this whole mess.

/

Victor's first order of business was to track down Yurio. Seemed pretty simple seeing as he already knew where he was, but he was having an abnormally large amount of issues actually getting any information on him.

When he called the Director of the St. Petersburg Omega House, the man honest to God sounded wasted.

"Aaaaaa Victooooor." The man slurred heavily over the receiver. Victor pushed his eyebrows together in disbelief as he heard him.

"Georgi?" Victor said, looking down to make sure he dialed the right number. "Georgi? Are you alright?"

"Mfiine Victooor. How…how are you?"

Victor was silent for a moment; so many things running through his mind. Should he call back later? Should he have Georgi reported? If Georgi was drunk how exactly was he running his House?"

"I'm fine…" He said slowly, "Georgi I was hoping you could help me find someone."

"Oh sure Victoor. Look! Here's someone right here! I WIN!" The man laughed and hiccupped and then started sobbing.

"Ahh….are you okay?"

The entire conversation was a complete train wreck after that, and he was absolutely unable to get any information on Yuri—hell he was hardly able to get off the phone at all. And now he faced a very real moral dilemma that he was ashamed of. He needed to report Georgi. It was illegal for Directors to be drunk near the Houses—mostly due to the fact that nearly all Directors were Alphas, and inebriated Alphas near unbounded Omegas was not a good idea. But on the other hand he really needed information on Yuri.

If he reported Georgi, then an investigation would start, and if that happened there was no telling what would happen to the Omega's who were at the House. He'd have nothing to go off of to keep track of Yuri.

Victor sighed and ran long shaking fingers through his hair.

"V-victor?"

The soft voice made him look up immediately and he tried to keep his scent under control when he saw Yuuri's face peering around the door. It was the first time in over a month since Yuri had left their room, and although the Omega still had red eyes, and puffy skin, this was a good sign.

"Okiniiri?" Victor said, smiling and standing up. "Are you alright?"

Yuuri stepped fully inside the office, though still squashed up against the door and shoulders hunched awkwardly.

"I just wanted…" He looked around the office and fresh tears spilled over his cheeks. "I j-just wanted to…" He choked on a sob and then shook his head, his hands flying up to cover his face.

Victor rushed over, wrapping his arms around the sobbing Omega and tucking his head into his scent glands as he released a calming scent.

"It's okay, love. You're okay." He soothed softly, petting the greasy hair and hugging him tighter to him. "What did you want, Yuuri?" He asked, not moving away from his Omega.

Yuuri tried to answer, but each time his words got hung up and he would start sobbing harder. "Shh shh, it's okay." He said again, rocking them back and forth gently.

By the time Yuuri had settled down enough to actually speak, Victor could see the exhaustion in his eyes and he insisted the Omega go back upstairs to sleep. Yuuri didn't put up a fight, he nodded his head dutifully and then walked back to the door, hesitating before opening it.

"I want to go home."

His words were soft, and Victor had to take a moment to fully comprehend what he said.

"Yuuri, love, you are home. Where do you think you are?" He asked calmly, though his initial instinct was to freak out. Had the Omega made himself so sick with grief that he'd gone a little insane?

"To Japan." Yuuri said, just as softly as before.

Oh.

Victor stared at him. Yuuri hadn't turned back to face him but Victor could see that his eyes were cast toward the ground, shoulders hunched and probably crying again. In all the years they'd been together, since they had first met when Victor was 15, nearly 12 years, Yuuri had never asked to go home.

It had been something Victor was very concerned with when they first met. Yuuri had been so young, only 11 when he had been chosen to be Victor's Omega. Victor had felt so guilty for taking the child away from his family and friends, he had spoken often about how Yuuri would need to let him know if he ever wanted to go home.

But Yuuri had come from a long line of Omegas; he had been raised to be one even before he presented, and as such he had been trained to adopt his Alphas family as his own. Even when Victor had insisted it would be alright if he wanted to visit, Yuuri had always smiled softly, shaken his head and said "Vitya, you're my family now."

And when Victor's parents had died, he stopped pushing. Without his parents around, he wasn't sure he'd be able to cope with even being apart from Yuuri for a few days let alone weeks. And the idea of visiting Japan while he was being thrown into the business was too much. So he had silently let the matter of visiting Yuuri's parents die.

Victor wasn't even sure where to find Yuuri's family. His father had been the one to set this entire unionup, and he had been so young and so excited, that he hadn't really paid attention.

Victor shook his head slightly, still staring at the back of Yuuri's head. "You want to visit Japan?" He asked in clarification.

But Yuuri shook his head. "No, Victor. I don't want it to be a visit."

Victor gulped silently, forcing himself to remain calm. He had thought they were doing better; that Yuuri had started to forgive him. He had been letting Victor sleep with him again, letting him wrap his arms around him and press gentle kisses to him. So where the fuck was this coming from?

"You want…" Victor couldn't even finish the thought. His Omega, his Mate his Yuuri wanted to leave him. The Omega's calm tone frightened him more than when he was screaming and yelling to move into a dorm. That had been a passion desire. Something he wanted, but only because his emotions were so high. This—this seemed different. Yuuri was calm, and though he had sobbed when he first came in, Victor had the gut wrenching feeling that he had really thought about this rationally.

Yuuri turned around and forced his head up, staring across the office at his Alpha with tears still falling though his expression was set to determination.

"I want to move back home. I want to be with my family. And…and I don't want you to come with me."

Victor clenched his jaw, nodding slightly as he broke eye contact with his Omega. His feelings were getting very jumbled, and he needed a moment to process. On the one hand, he was devastated; absolutely heartbroken that his highly Trained Omega was so unhappy with him that he'd ask to move home after all these years.

On the other hand, he was furious. How dare Yuuri request such a thing. How dare the Omega request to part from his Alpha, not to mention his Mate. Yuuri knew that a Mated pair would have a much more difficult time being apart than a normal pair. He knew that Victor would be devastated and yet, he was still making the request!

Somewhere under his Alpha anger, Victor was aware of how emotionally distraught the Omega must be to request such a thing. It would have been hard for him to ask, he was the other half of their pair, after all. It wouldn't be easy for him to be away from his Alpha, and yet, he was so miserable around him that he'd prefer the pain of being apart.

"I—I don't know if I can—"

"Victor, please. I have never asked anything of you." Yuuri interrupted. Victor took a long breath in through his nose and then exhaled, shaking his head toward the ground.

"Yuuri…I—" He hesitated and then bit his lip, forcing the tears from his eyes. "If you still want to leave me in a week, then I'll arrange for you to move back to Japan. But please…give me a week." He finished his sentence weakly, pleadingly.

Yuuri didn't respond to him. He locked eyes for a long moment and then turned slowly, opening the door and leaving. As the door shut softly behind the Omega, Victor felt his knees wobble as he let the pain of the request overtake him.

/

They didn't speak of the conversation after that. Yuuri let Victor crawl in behind him in bed and wrap his arms around him. He let Victor press gentle kisses to his skin, and sooth him through his fits of grief. Victor spent the days curled around his Omega, inhaling his scent and allowing his own scent to flow freely to help ease the mourning.

But at weeks end, Yuuri had looked at him through tear filled eyes and Victor didn't even need to hear the words to know that Yuuri still wanted to leave.

Victor silently suffered through contacting the Omega's family and asking if Yuuri could come for an extended stay. He still couldn't bring himself to actually think it would be forever so he told himself a month, two tops. Just to get through.

Yuuri's family had answered immediately, agreeing to welcome their son home without hesitation, and without question. Victor had made the email very obvious that it was temporary while he sorted a few things out.

Yuuri had responded to the news that his family had accepted, quietly. He had packed only a few clothes and his scent blocking soaps along with the pillowcase that had been on Yurio's pillow. Victor had asked to see him to the airport, but the Omega had shook his head slowly.

"I don't want a public scene." He said gently, not unkindly.

Victor spent their last night together wrapped tightly around his Omega, trying and failing to keep tears from streaming down his face. Yuuri had been soothing to the Alpha, placing soft kisses to his lips and running his fingers through the silver locks.

The Alpha was grateful for that. Yuuri had been letting Victor sooth him and hadn't complained through the nights wrapped together, but he had also never reciprocated any moves. There were no mutual kisses, no matching cuddles. So when the Omega gave him this one night, this last bit of comfort, Victor clung to it.

Yuuri's car was leaving early, well before breakfast, but Victor had insisted he eat something before he leave. The Omega ate everything placed in front of him without complaint, and by the time Zakhar had pulled the car around to the door, Victor knew he had done everything he could.

They stood on the large front steps outside of the House as Zakhar put Yuuri's too light suitcase into the car. Victor took his hands in his own and brought them up to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss to the knuckles and running his finger over the gold band on his finger that signified their union.

Yuuri let his hands move upward, cupping the Alpha's cheeks and forcing the blue eyes to meet his own. His face was emotionless, eyes red from constant sobbing, dried tear stains still on his soft caramel cheeks.

"I'll stay in touch." He said softly. And Victor knew he would. But it wasn't enough. It would never be enough.

The Alpha nodded, clenching and unclenching his jaw as he struggled to keep his emotions together.

"The second you say the word, I can come get you."

Yuuri forced a smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. Victor moved his head down, pressing their foreheads together as he took a breath.

"I love you, Yuuri."

Yuuri sniffled and wrapped his arms around the Alpha's waist, holding the hug for just a minute before breaking it and pulling away. The sudden move shocked Victor for a moment and he reached after the Omega before coming back to his senses and putting his hand down slowly to rest by his side.

He didn't stop the tears as he watched his Mate, his best friend, his Yuuri disappear from site.

/

Otabek proved to be as competent and level headed as Zakhar had said he was. In the months that followed his Omega's move, Victor had fallen deep into his depression.

At first he had been so overwhelmingly sad, that he stopped eating. Zakhar had made sure he got enough to stay alive, but his weight dropped so dramatically that the gruff old Beta had taken to spoon feeding him.

Then Victor's mood changed to pure anger. He was mad at himself, mad at Yuuri and especially especially mad at Yurio. It was all the young Omega's fault! He was the source of all of his pain, and Victor could think of no better revenge than letting the little shit rot in St. Petersburg.

After this stage, Victor had moved to a more general air of sadness, though not as crippling as the initial mourning. He had worked through his anger and moved on to self loathing, and that had stuck for the majority of his depression.

He could still find himself blaming Yurio for everything when he was at a particularly angry point, but he knew that wasn't true. He had been the one to turn the Omega down. He had been the one who wouldn't explain his reasoning. So how could he possibly blame the young Omega for doing something that any right minded person would do?

"Sir?"

Victor turned his head slowly at the sound of Zakhar's soft question, and saw the Beta peeking his head into the room.

"Sir," the man started, coming into the room and shutting the door behind him. Victor still lay in bed, his hair unwashed, sheets unkempt and window blinds drawn shut. "It's been three months."

Victor looked away. He didn't care how long it had been since Yuuri left. He just wanted his Omega back. No need for a play by play.

"You have work to do." The man continued and Victor laughed a humorless laugh that rang through the room.

"Otabek can handle the House. It's doing better than ever."

"No." The Beta said firmly, and Victor jumped slightly in surprise at the tone. "Victor, I have watched you grow into a strong Alpha, a savvy businessman and a truly kind person. You have led a very blessed life and I am truly sorry for the recent pain you have endured. You do not deserve it. But it's time to get out of bed."

Victor stared dumbfounded at Zakhar, unable to believe that he was hearing him properly. Zakhar had never called him 'Victor'. In fact, if someone had told him that the man didn't actually know his first name, it wouldn't have surprised him. It was always 'Sir'.

"Get out of bed. Open the curtains. Take a shower. Dress, and come down to your office for breakfast. We have work to do." The man's words were strong and he stared at Victor unflinchingly for so long that the Alpha eventually broke contact, nodding slowly. Zakhar left the room with Victor still reeling from the sudden and brisk words.

He did everything just as Zakhar said. He got out of bed, padded over to the windows and drew them open one by one until the bright light filled the filthy room. He looked out over the lush green valleys of his property. Summer was in full swing now, and the trees were full and sturdy. The gardens were colorful and full of life, Omegas and caretakers walking through them leisurely. Birds were singing softly through the wind and when Victor decided to open one of the windows the smell of pure Summer was so wonderful that he actually felt his lips form into a smile.

His shower was hot and long; he let the scolding water hit his back and soak his hair for so long that by the time he was ready to actually start washing, the water was lukewarm.

He dressed simply; black slacks and a black shirt with a black jacket. He considered a tie, but doubted he'd have the energy to actually tie it properly and so his overall look was much more casual than his previous one had been.

He made his way downstairs to his office and when he walked through the door he was pleased to see that Zakhar had opened the windows in here as well. He inhaled the warm summer scent and walked over to sit at his desk.

It was the same as he'd left it; Otabek clearly preferred his own little office that adjoined the larger office. He was surprised to feel pleased at that thought too. In the months that Yuuri had been gone, he had truly thought he'd never work again, and yet here he was—happy that Otabek hadn't moved in.

Zakhar opened the office door a few moments later and pushed in a cart filled with fruit, sandwiches, juice and coffee. Victor stayed silent as the Beta pulled out a plate, filled it with an assortment of foods, poured his juice and coffee and then set a cloth napkin in his lap.

Victor glanced at the man and Zakhar motioned for him to eat. He did. He started with the fruit, and then washed it down with juice. He had thought he'd stop there, just eat enough to please the Beta, but the food hit his stomach so nicely that he had a sandwich. And then another.

Zakhar cut him off after that and nodded at the coffee.

"There's plenty of food, sir. Let your stomach settle while we talk business." Victor eyed the man suspiciously at those words, but sipped at his coffee as the Beta sat down across from him on the other side of the desk.

"Why did you dislike Yurio?"

Victor choked on the coffee, almost spitting it out at the blunt question. Zakhar waited patiently for him to gather himself, but remained staring at him.

"I'm sorry?" Victor said, still taken aback.

"The Omega, Yurio. The one Master Yuuri liked so much." Zakhar prompted. Victor winced at the sound of his missing Mate, but Zakhar's expression didn't change to sympathy.

"I didn't dislike him." Victor said calmly. Zakhar's expression stayed the same. Gentle, professional, yet clearly determined.

"Then why did you let him leave?"

Victor stood up and paced around his chair. "Why does it matter? I thought you wanted me to work. What does Yurio have to do with work?"

Zakhar leaned forward in his chair. "The work I was referring to was you getting your pack back."

The words hung in the air for a long time, Victor stared at the Beta, still so shocked to hear the man speaking so bluntly to him. It wasn't that he felt it wasn't his place, if anything Zakhar was the only person he'd be willing to hear this from. But the man had always been so quiet, silently letting Victor lead his own life, never interfering in the 10 years since Victor had taken over the business.

"So…Yurio."

Victor blinked and turned away.

"Plisetski." Zakhar continued. Victor didn't dare look at the man. Zakhar had to know, he had to have put it together. So why force him to stay it out loud?

"Zakhar…" Victor said warningly.

"He was the boy."

It wasn't a question. A statement. And Victor felt tears sting his eyes.

He thought of his father often. Everyday in fact. But his death was something a little harder to face, even in thought.

Sleet had been falling all day, covering the roads and making them almost completely inept to drive on. Victor and Yuuri had been exhausted from the days work in town. His father had needed to see to some business opportunities with some local venders, and had asked if Victor had wanted to join him. It would be his business one day, and now that he had his Omega, it was time to get the boy trained on his future.

Victor and Yuuri had been excited to watch his father at work. It was fascinating to watch the man speak so effortlessly, and still gain what he desired out of business deals.

The local man he had been most anxious to see, was a butcher who had provided meat to most of the Houses in Russia. The man had been very informative of conditions at the St. Petersburg Omega House, and Victor's father had been more than happy to pay the man for his trouble.

The St. Petersburg Omega House had been somewhat of a passion project for his father. He had singlehandedly blown the lid off of the Well Kept Omega market; working day and night to rebrand the House and make Alphas more interested in a quality Omega rather than just any Omega.

They had spent hours discussing why this was.

"Without Omegas, we wouldn't be able to survive." The older man had said calmly when Victor asked.

"Omegas provide balance to us, they keep us sane, happy and they bare life. Without them, humanity would never survive. And it's time the world treated them better. First we need to make the desire for a well kept Omega so huge, that more Houses take steps to care for them. Then, once it's second nature for an Alpha to want a well treated Omega, we can work on getting laws changed."

St. Petersburg had been absolutely unwilling to change their treatment of the Omegas, and Victor's father had been fighting tooth and nail to close the place down. But it had proved impossible. His father had almost given up hope of changing the House, when the butcher had offhandedly made a comment on the conditions.

Over night, his father's plan had changed. Instead of forcing the House to change, he would buy the House. But the owner would have to be—persuaded to sell. And his plan for that was to gather as much dirt on the place as possible. Wait until they were so desperate that selling out would be a welcome change.

After his meeting with the Butcher, his father had considered staying in a Hotel for the night, but had ultimately decided he'd rather have his son and his son's newly presented Omega at the safety of their House.

Victor and Yuuri had long since fallen asleep in the back when his father had lost control of the car. They woke with gasps as they swerved on the roads, Victor's father trying desperately to regain control.

When the oncoming car slammed into them at nearly full speed, Victor's father was killed instantly.

Victor's memory was a blur of ambulance sirens and flashing red and yellow lights, but he clearly remembered watching from the ambulance as a young toddler was pulled from the other car and whisked away in another ambulance.

Tears flowed easily down Victor's cheeks now and he jumped slightly as he felt the strong hand land on his shoulder.

"He was the boy. The one you spent all those months searching for."

Victor nodded, still crying silently. The crash had been completely accidental. Bad roads were the only fault, but he had felt responsible somehow. If he had insisted that he and Yuuri were fine with a hotel, his father wouldn't have been on the road. There would have been no crash, and both his and Yurio's fathers would still be alive today.

He had a vague feeling that it was pointless and silly to blame himself, but he couldn't keep the thoughts from pressing into his mind. He could have told his dad that they were fine in a hotel. He could have insisted. He could have prevented this.

He had found out that Yuri Plisetski had been one of the three survivors of the fatal crash, and that the three year old had suffered a concussion, bruising and virtually no other damage. The boy was from a long line of Omegas from Salsk, and the moment he had heard that, he pledged to make sure that if the boy ever presented as an Omega, he would make sure he went to only the best Alpha.

That first day—their first meeting so many months ago, it had taken Victor far too long to recognize the name and put two and two together. But once he had, he felt sick. He was by no accounts a bad Alpha, but one day he would have to tell Yurio about that night. He'd have to look the beautiful Omega in the face and tell him that if he had just spoken up—his father would still be alive. And he couldn't bare it!

He didn't dislike Yurio! He was just as struck by Cupid as Yuuri had been. Maybe more so. The boy's scent had indeed been pleasant, but he made a point to never fully inhale another Omega out of respect for Yuuri. But when he had found the two tangled together in their bed, scents mixed freely and both purring loudly, Victor's heart had beat for both of them. And had done ever since.

He'd fallen so easily for the boy, so quickly. And Yurio had fit so perfectly into their pack—it was a dream. But his guilt, his unending guilt had probed him to keep his distance. Once he knew the truth, Yurio would want nothing to do with him. He had practically killed the boy's father.

When Yuri had presented himself to the Alpha, Victor had been so close to taking him. So close to biting him, fucking him, claiming him; so close to making their bond permanent before even telling Yuri the truth, that he'd had a sudden burst of anger at himself. He had taken it out on the boy, yes, but he had no idea that his little tantrum would make Yuri want to leave them.

As the memories of that day played in his mind after Yuuri had moved back home, Victor became aware of how the boy must have felt. It hadn't occurred to him that Yuri thought he didn't like him. Surely the boy could smell it. But as his mind pondered over it, he came to realize that Yurio was still so young—too young to know scents; too newly presented to recognize the inner turmoil that the Alpha was going through.

His Yuuri had picked up on it. The Omega had told him to take it easy on Yurio, had asked him why he was so hesitant, but even with Victor's poor excuse, Yuuri had known something was wrong because Victor's arousal was so evident.

Victor turned, falling into Zakhar's arms and sobbing quietly. God he'd fucked up. If he'd just been honest with Yuuri from the beginning; told him who the kid was—Yuuri had known there was a kid, after all. God if he'd just been able to talk to Yurio, or explain himself even a little better then he wouldn't be here now, seeking comfort from a Beta older than his dead father, who he'd practically adopted as a surrogate father.

"What am I going to do?" Victor asked softly though his sobs. "I've fucked everything up so badly!"

Zakhar patted his back gently and then put his hands to Victor's shoulders and held him at arm's length.

"We are going to take over that cursed St. Petersburg Omega House. We're going to get Master Yuuri back and then we are going to get Yurio."


	9. Chapter 9- The Return

Viewings took a lot of time away from skating. It was the first thing Yuri had noticed and honestly, he wasn't sure he was willing to give up so much time from his new hobby. Of course he had to, but he knew that given the choice, he would go on being unmated forever just to be able to skate during the evenings.

It wasn't even that Viewings were so bad. They were actually kind of pleasant. The Viewing Room was large and spacious though still private enough for the Omega's to feel safe. There were a wide array of activities offered including: Board games, books, sewing, painting, and other crafts. There was also a large TV set up so that they could watch a movie.

Since Yuri had presented, his only dealings with Alphas were Victor and the Alpha from the rink several weeks back. But Mila had insisted that the caliber of Alpha had gone up exponentially since the rules had changed. Yuri noted that there was no unwanted touching, no uncomfortable encounters and that no Omega was forced to be with an Alpha if they didn't want to be. Mila had explained that it was a vast difference from the previous Viewings, and Yuri had to thank God that he had been spared this one bad thing.

He had met Alphas that were a little—forceful, in the past, but they were all before he presented. Even though they had all been kind of terrible and left a bad taste in his mouth, it wasn't fair for him to say that he'd dealt with the sort of hostility that Mila and Phichit had gone through.

He sat alone in one of the comfortable chairs facing away from the TV and reading a book. He tried to make himself do other activities while in Viewings—his pamphlet had said that Alphas watching from afar would appreciate the well rounded Omega—but reading was his favorite.

It was quiet and personal, and it meant that any Alpha's who were watching him would feel a little anxious to disrupt him. He did want to find an Alpha, he really did, but he still couldn't quite make himself available to anyone. He wasn't even sure it was still his loyalty to Victor and Yuuri that made him wary or if he was simply a little more introverted than he gave himself credit for, but it was what it was.

He flipped the page slowly, re-reading the last sentence over again and smiling at the beautiful imagery before letting the page fall and starting on the next paragraph.

"Interesting read."

The voice broke through his minds narrator and he glared up at the intruder before gasping in slight shock.

"You!" He hissed even more angry now.

The Alpha laughed and pulled up a chair, turning it around backwards and sitting with the back of the chair under his arms.

"The name's Jean-Jacques. But everyone calls me JJ." He said with a grin.

Yuri fought to keep that stupid grin from making him swoon, and he made a point to pay attention to the scent he was giving off. No need to let this Alpha know that he was having a physical reaction to him.

"How nice for you." Yuri said, shifting in his chair to send a clear message to go away.

JJ didn't take the hint. Instead the Alpha leaned forward and nodded.

"Uncle Tom's Cabin?" JJ said a little taken aback. Yuri just shrugged and tried to turn a little further away.

"First time reader or have you read it before?" JJ continued, as if Yuri wasn't trying to blatantly blow him off. He glared at the Alpha and then rolled his eyes, looking back down at the pages.

"First time." He mumbled.

JJ nodded again and took a breath. "Well I hope you have tissues on hand. Serious stuff in that book."

Yuri glanced up at the Alpha and eyed him curiously. He had heard hype about the novel, knew the basic plot, though no spoilers but it was a little odd for an Alpha to admit to the novel pertaining to serious stuff.

"You've read it?"

JJ nodded again and now his face took on a much more serious expression. "My family is in the Omega House business, and my father made me read that book to keep me humble." The Alpha shook his head and smiled somberly. "It sure does make you think about how we treat other people."

Yuri stared at the Alpha for a long time, just looking at him. He was relatively small for an Alpha, though still quite a bit larger than himself. His tan skin was smooth and even, meaning he probably didn't work in the sun or outside. His haircut was trendy as well as his clothes and the fact that he was in a Viewing given the new price changes lead Yuri to guess (correctly) that he was well off.

"Your family is in the Omega House business?" Yuri asked after his long pause.

JJ looked up and smiled, the awkwardness of their conversation disappearing almost instantly. "Yes. Our family owns some of the most prestigious Omega Houses in North America. It hit Yuri at that moment that's where his accent is from!

"What are you doing in Russia if you're from North America?" Yuri kept his body angled away from the Alpha, but put the book down in his lap, still holding it, though no longer pretending to read.

"It's sort of a thing in our family. The Alphas always get their Omega's abroad." JJ answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

Yuri nodded. He had heard of this practice before, from Victor. The Nikiforovs always got their Omegas abroad, so it made sense that other Alpha families did the same.

"Why Russia though? Why not say Japan?"

JJ Looked at him a little surprised at that. "I was actually in Japan recently—didn't find anyone special." He said looking at Yuri with something akin to awe. "It's so funny that you said Japan."

Yuri shrugged. He'd only said Japan because that's where Victor had gotten Yuuri, but he did suppose it was a bit of a coincidence that JJ had just been there.

"Isn't Japan like, known for quality Omegas?" He said, trying to downplay the coincidence.

JJ shrugged, sitting a little straighter in his chair. "I suppose that may be true. Though I don't think I've ever met an Omega who would read Uncle Tom's Cabin in a Viewing…"

The blush made its way over Yuri's cheeks before he could stop it, and he looked away from JJ, trying to hide the tale tell sign.

"Don't be embarrassed." JJ said leaning closer to him, and lifting the book from his lap. "This book should be taught in every House in the world, and it should be a specification of Alpha Presentation as well."

Yuri looked at JJ with disbelief on his face. "You should be careful speaking like that here. Russia isn't as far along in Omega rights as North America."

The laugh that JJ produced surprised Yuri and the Omega stared at the Alpha until he settled down.

"Oh Yurio, North America is not far along at all in Omega Rights. Nowhere is, really."

Yuri grinned, looking away from the Alpha before snapping his head back and glaring suspiciously at him.

"How did you know my name?" He said slowly.

JJ Grinned, looking directly into his eyes.

"It was a long process. Gaining the Principal's trust, offering favors in exchange for information…but in the end it was something small that did the trick."

Yuri clenched his jaw, furious at Otabek for giving away his name without his permission! He'd have words with the Director about this one, and oh boy was he going to get an earful.

"All I had to do was simply…" JJ leaned close, and Yuri couldn't help himself from leaning close as well, conspiratorially. "Read your nametag."

Yuri glanced down and saw the cheap sticker paper that read Yurio in large green letters across his chest and he rolled his eyes.

"Some trick." He growled. JJ laughed and shook his head.

"You mustn't think all Alphas are out to trick you. Sometimes we just want to get to know you." He laughed good-naturedly and then looked down at his watch.

"Well, Yurio, I really have to get going, but I'd love to see you again."

"No." Yuri said defiantly, jerking his body away and curling back up in his chair. JJ did seem a little affronted by that which –good—but the Alpha smiled and nodded his head.

"I won't force my affections on you, kitten. So if you really don't want to continue our conversation, then I will keep my distance."

Yuri looked at the Alpha, trying to keep his face passive. He didn't care after all. He really didn't; some idiotic Alpha prancing about looking for a fancy foreign Omega, no skin off his nose. And seriously? Kitten?

"But if you're just being a grump, and truly don't mind if I come to see you again, then why don't you be right here in this same spot again tomorrow. If I see you here, then I'll know I have your consent to talk to you. If not, then I'll stay away. Scouts honor." JJ made a ridiculous sign holding up two fingers and grinning.

The Alpha didn't wait for Yuri to respond, instead just bowing respectfully and then getting up and heading towards the door.

Yuri hissed as the Alpha left, looking around for a good spot to sit tomorrow.

/

He sat in the same chair. He really wanted to be defiant and push the Alpha away, but at the same time, he knew that the Alpha was doing nothing wrong and it was somewhat flattering that he'd had any interest at all. And then to make a point to get his consent…that was nice. So he sat in the same chair. And he didn't tell JJ to leave when the alpha came over.

Yuri couldn't deny his ease with JJ. It was comfortable and simple. He found JJ to be a bit of a peacock, but noting too annoying. Their conversations were—Yuri couldn't think of another word—shallow. JJ never asked really prodding questions, he never opened up with really personal details or stories. It was all just pleasant, simple, getting to know you type stuff. And it went like that for two weeks.

JJ would tease, frustrate and bother Yuri while the Omega was reading a book, and Yuri would bark at him, tell him off and call him names. Never once did the Alpha seem deterred and it didn't pass Yuri's notice that a lot of Alphas would have given up by now. Still he wasn't sure how he felt about being pursued.

When JJ finally asked Yuri if he'd be willing to do a private Viewing, Yuri froze. The private Viewings of the past were long gone at this point, but Yuri still knew that it was a pretty big step in the courting process. For a regular House it meant that the Alpha was likely to demand the Omega to strip—see what he was getting before he bought, maybe even 'try you out'. But a more upscale House—like the new St. Petersburg House, it meant something more like a date. A private movie, or dinner or a game, something simple but private.

Yuri said no. And he wasn't sure if he wanted JJ to be offended or not, by his response. He still wasn't fully sure of his feelings as a whole. And he couldn't deny that the Alpha reminded him of Victor—which could be a good thing or a bad thing. So no was the best response.

JJ did seem a bit put off by the response. He ran his hand through his hair, nodded several times and then cleared his throat.

"Oh…okay, yeah. No problem."

Yuri wanted to explain, he wanted to let him know it was nothing he'd done—and that in itself let the Omega know that there was at least some interest on his part here. Why else would he care if JJ was hurt?

Before Yuri had the chance to explain, however, JJ stood up and announced that he had to leave. Yuri watched as the Alpha walked away and he later kicked himself for not stopping him.

"Why did you say no?" Mila said after Yuri explained what had happened.

Yuri shrugged, pulling off his wrap and throwing on his pajamas. He didn't even know why he'd told Mila. It wasn't like they were friends or anything—he just—he wanted advice…

"We've only known each other for two weeks." He said with a huff. "And I'm not even sure I want him to court me, anyway."

Mila nodded, her face scrunched up in a 'yeah right' expression.

"I'm serious!" He said defensively. "I don't know if I'm ready to really court. And even if I was, he'd get bored waiting. I can't be mated for another year."

Mila rolled her eyes and sighed. "Yurio, you know perfectly well that Alpha's can request Omegas before they turn 18. And, your birthday is in 8 months…hardly a year."

Yuri shrugged and scowled at her. "That doesn't matter anyway! What if I don't like him, huh?"

Mila glared at him and reached up to turn the light out. "If you didn't like him, then you wouldn't be talking to me about it right now."

/

All through classes the next morning, Yuri had knots in his stomach. He had come to the conclusion that he did like JJ and he did want to still see him, but maybe private viewings were just too private. He had planned it all out—he'd tell JJ the truth—that he didn't want him to stop coming by, but to give him a month or two before asking about private Viewings again.

He had been decently excited about his decision when he told Mila about it that morning, but the female Omega had ruined his good mood by pointing out that JJ might not come back. He had been rejected, turned away, and most Alphas would take offense to that and stay away on principle.

Even skating after classes and before Viewing didn't help settle his stomach as it always had. Had he really ruined a chance at an Alpha? Had he really turned away the only person who'd shown any interest in him since Yuuri?

He sat in his chair nervously, pulling his legs up under him and opening his book to the middle. He knew he wouldn't be able to lose himself in the pages this time, so he didn't even try. He just wanted to see if JJ would show up.

The first half hour passed and no JJ. Then the second half hour—still nothing. By the time the last hour of Viewing arrived, Yuri had all but given up on him. He'd really done it this time. He'd finally gotten to a place where the idea of another Alpha didn't make him want to vomit—and he'd run him off.

"Hey, Kitten."

Yuri gasped, jumped slightly and snapped his head into the direction of the voice.

"JJ!" He said surprised, then immediately made his face fall to a look of unconcern. "Didn't see you there."

JJ laughed and knelt down so that they were face level, though still plenty of space between them.

"I'm sorry I'm late, I had a—situation." He said, looking off to the side. He shook his head and then smiled again. "I hope I didn't worry you."

Yuri made a face. "Why would I worry?" God! Why couldn't he try to be pleasant? More like Yuuri—complimentary, flirty…why did he have to be such a dick all the time?

"Worry or not, I'm here now. What are you reading today?"

Yuri didn't get to tell JJ about wanting to wait for private viewings, but he still felt like an enormous weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and by the next evening things seemed back to normal; with JJ teasing and Yuri acting angry about it.

/

Another two weeks passed and JJ asked again.

"Yurio, what would you say to dinner with me?"

JJ had been uncharacteristically quiet that evening, though still in a good mood, he had definitely been mauling something—this—over.

"Haven't you already had dinner?" Yuri asked, not looking up from his book.

"I meant tomorrow." Yuri looked up and studied JJ for a moment. He was completely aware of what the Alpha was asking, and even with the extra time he had been given, and even with JJ's understanding and good nature, he was seriously unsure of if the Alpha would stick around if he was turned down again for a Private Viewing. Yuri sat up, letting his book slip into his lap as he looked at the Alpha, unsure.

"JJ—"

"Listen; don't think of it as a PV. Think of it—as dinner." The Alpha said with a dazzling smile. Yuri hated how that smile made shivers run through his body, and at the same time he loved it.

"Yurio, I don't mind waiting for you. I truly don't mind at all, but unless I get to know you a bit better, how are we supposed to know if we'd work?"

God! This was all becoming so real! How were they supposed to know if they'd work?! Seriously? He wanted to tell JJ to back off, tell the Alpha that if he didn't know if he liked him, then he could just go. It was no skin of his nose. But then the calmer, sensible side spoke up.

JJ was a nice man. He was understanding, kind and unjustly attractive. Sure he could be a bit annoying and he definitely didn't have Victor's caliber of—well anything, but he was so nice. And they honestly did seem to get along well. And he made a good point. It wasn't like they had really had any deep conversations. So far they knew surface details, and that was a start for sure, but it was nothing to base a lifelong relationship on.

"Yurio, we can have the dinner here if you'd prefer. I'm sure the director would understand if we asked to use a classroom or something."

Yuri shook his head, "It's not that. I just think- isn't this going kind of fast? I mean, we just met."

JJ chuckled, moving closer to Yuri and smiling. "Yes, we just met. A month ago. And now instead of asking to marry you and whisk you off to unknown lands, I'm asking to have dinner. To get to know you better."

Yuri scowled, grumbling under his breath at the tease and then sighing out his frustration and looking away. "I just don't want to lead you on or anything." He said softly.

JJ leaned forward to hear the ultra soft words and then grinned. He was so close, and Yuri felt heat rise to his cheeks as their eyes met and his heart rate sped up. JJ reached up, moved a strand of hair that had fallen, back behind Yuri's ear.

Yuri held back a moan. It had been…ages since he'd been touched by an Alpha. He'd forgotten how nice it was; the tingling sensation, the warmth spreading from point of contact, the increased sent—it made his shiver. He looked into JJ's eyes and the Alpha smiled softly again.

"Yurio, unless you know for sure that you're not interested in me, then I'd say you're not leading me on." JJ's hand fell from Yuri's hair and the Omega was grateful for that. The touch was absolutely maddening and he wanted to be clearheaded when he made his decision.

Dinner wouldn't be too bad. It was just dinner, as JJ had noted, and he did really like the Alpha. He chewed his lip, looking away and sighing. He could do this. It's not like he had obligations to another Alpha—or Omega. If he turned down every Alpha then soon there wouldn't be any and he'd be all alone.

He felt the tingling sensation of JJ's hand back on his skin, this time on his chin. The grip was so gentle, yet firm and it forced his head to turn and he was staring into beautiful blue eyes. He let himself be led as their faces moved closer and closer and it was far too late before he finally realized what was happening.

His lips were barely ghosting over JJ's when he was suddenly jumping at a loud bark of his name.

"Yuri Plisetski." The voice was loud, booming but not frantic or angry, and Yuri looked over to see Otabek at the door, staring politely away from them, yet obviously aware of where they were. They hadn't been doing anything wrong had they? No. He'd seen Alphas and Omegas kiss in here before—what..?

"Plisetski, you have a visitor." Otabek continued.

"Yes, he knows. I'm clearly right here." JJ said, annoyance so thick that it was starting to make Yuri distressed. His hand fell from Yuri's skin and he sat back, the mood obviously broken.

"I'm sure he is aware of you, sir. But I was speaking about another visitor." Otabek said calmly, still politely looking away.

Yuri straightened up, a little confused and looking from JJ to Otabek. JJ shrugged when he caught his eye and looked around, ready to see this visitor.

"Where is this visitor?" JJ asked a little suspiciously. "Yuri and I were just discussing a Private Viewing." He added, knowing that Private Viewings were the first step in Courting and it was protocol for a competing Alpha to stay at arm's length while an Omega was being officially Courted.

Otabek had just the hint of a smile on his face, though still facing away from them. He stood a little straighter and cleared his throat before continuing.

"I apologize, sir. However unless the Omega has officially agreed to a Private Viewing, he is still perfectly able to see other visitors without breaking etiquette codes." He paused there and Yuri wondered, not for the first time, if Otabek had been listening to them somehow.

"You still haven't said where this mysterious visitor is." JJ said getting more agitated.

Suddenly, Yuri felt so angry that he felt his hands begin to shake.

"Just a minute!" He said looking at JJ with fury in his eyes. "You have no right to demand to see my visitor. Even if I had formally accepted an invitation to a Private Viewing, I am a fucking person. I can see whoever the hell I want, and you have no right to see or even know about it."

JJ looked taken aback; his eyes wide and mouth open slightly. "Yuri, I meant no disrespect. I was just—"

"Just trying to stake your claim!" Yuri stood, his book falling to the floor with a loud thud and several surrounding people looking in his direction at the sudden move. "Well I've got news for you, Jean-Jacques Leroy; I am not something to claim."

He didn't wait for JJ's response and walked over to Otabek who held the door open for him as he walked out. He was still fuming by the time the young director caught up with him. How dare JJ get all possessive at this point. They had literally just been talking about things moving too fast and how 'it was just dinner' and then this?

At a deeper level, Yuri was aware that he was probably overreacting a bit, but he was so sick of the way Alpha's seemed to think that they owned Omegas. Even the kind, understanding ones seemed to think that Omega's were property—precious irreplaceable property, but property none the less.

"Plisetski, did you want to see your visitor or would you rather be alone?" Otabek's voice broke through his angry thoughts of JJ and he laughed softly at the ridiculousness of forgetting about his visitor.

"Oh—"He stopped walking and took a deep breath to clear his head. He could see this visitor. "I don't mind seeing them. Are they in the Viewing room?" He asked, motioning back towards the room.

Otabek shook his head. "No, he's in my office. He's requested to see you privately."

Yuri cocked his head to the side. Privately? "Is that…appropriate?"

Otabek smiled but remained silent. Yuri kind of liked that about the Beta Director. Not too wordsy. He supposed it wouldn't be inappropriate if the Director had ok-d it. Besides, Otabek would be there too and there was still the tiny matter of not knowing who it was. Maybe it wasn't an Alpha at all—hence it being appropriate after all.

He shook the thoughts from his head and then nodded to Otabek. "Alright, let's go."

Otabek held his arm out, motioning for Yuri to go first toward his office. Yuri did, and he came to a stop outside of the door before Otabek reached into his pocket and grabbed his keys. The Beta stepped forward and unlocked the door, pushing it open and motioning, again, for Yuri to go first.

It wasn't the first time Yuri had been in the office, but he was hit once again by how familiar it was. He looked around the slightly darkened room and then gasped as his eyes fell on the desk where a tall, handsome silver haired Alpha sat perched.

Victor.

/

Yuri's knees felt like jell-o, his heart racing, palms sweating as the sight and, more definite scent, of Victor hit him. He wobbled on his feet before Victor was there, fast as a heartbeat and lifting him easily. Yuri let himself be lifted, feeling limp as a doll in Victor's arms.

He wasn't sure if Victor honestly smelled that fantastic or if it was simply that the scent brought back all of the memories from his time in Salsk. Well over a year had passed since he'd left, and yet he still thought of Salsk and all of the wonderful times he'd had there—with Yuuri and with Victor.

The Alpha sat him down in a chair and then moved back to the desk, sliding easily onto it and staring down at him with mixed emotions on his face. Yuri wasn't sure what to do. He wanted to crawl into Victor's arms, press his nose against his neck and inhale so deeply that he'd never get the scent out of his mind. And he also wanted to punch him. Square in the nose.

"What—what are you doing here?" He gasped out, still trying to calm his body.

"I came here for you." Victor's voice was just as silky and appealing as he remembered and he felt the urge to mewl. The Omega inside of him was positively screaming for joy at the knowledge that his Alpha had deemed him worthy enough to come fetch.

But Yuri wasn't just an Omega. He took several deep breaths and then forced himself to look at the handsome Alpha. He seemed taller to him, and yet shorter too. Yuri had definitely gone through a growth spurt since they'd last met. But the undeniable change in the Alpha was his weight. He was so skinny—too skinny. It actually looked like he hadn't eaten in weeks—maybe months. His handsome features had always been angular but now they were gaunt, deep hollow valleys instead of cheeks, dark bags under his eyes. His clothes were no longer perfectly tailored to him, instead hanging off of his body in a very un-Victor-like way.

"You came here for me?" He asked, a little more breathless than he'd wanted. He puffed out a breath and then repeated the words. "You came here…for me?"

Victor nodded, adjusting his seating on the desk and then sighing. "Yurio, I'm not going to beat around the bush. I'm not going to lie, or exaggerate."

Yuri wasn't looking directly at him, instead focusing on a spot on the rug just by his own shoes, trying to comprehend what was happening.

"I came here, because I owe you an apology."

Yuri's head snapped up at that. "An apology?"

Victor nodded. "Yuri, I—well I didn't do right by you when you were in Salsk. I—"

"Didn't do right by me?" Yuri interrupted, voice rising. "Didn't do—Victor you treated me like crap! After that first weekend you started to make me feel like a fucking tumor! Something you had to deal with, but would gladly be rid of if given the chance. And boy, did you get rid of me when you had the chance." Yuri huffed out an unapologetic laugh and then glared at the Alpha.

He was glad to see shock on the face, glad to see utter disbelief and disbelief.

"We were happy, Victor. Yuuri and I were happy, and you could have been happy too. But you….you…" He couldn't even think of the words. His anger was spilling out at this point, face red, heart racing and blood pumping through his ears, making it hard to hear himself think.

What an asshole! Thinks he can come here and say "I owe you an apology" and think that does it? Yuri had no idea what idiotic forgiveness shit Victor was after, but he came to the wrong Omega.

"You're right." Victor's words were calm and Yuri glared at him again. "Yurio, I have no good reason for why I acted the way I did."

"And what?" Yuri said a little louder. "You think you can come here and say you're sorry and that all will be forgiven? What? Are you dying and now you're trying to go through and right all of the wrongs you did?" He said viciously.

Victor winced slightly but put a soft smile on his features and shook his head. "No I'm not dying."

"Then what…on EARTH are you doing here, Victor? You don't think that maybe your stupid little apology is too little too late? You owe me an apology?"

"Damnit, Yuri what do you want from me?!"

The gruff tambour of Victor's voice shook every inch of Yuri's bones and he shivered with the want to submit, but forced himself to stay perfectly still. He hoped he was still giving an angry look, but honestly he was just happy he wasn't on the ground baring his neck with his ass out in the air.

"Yuri, you're right." Victor's voice was far from calm now. It was hysteric, and he jumped from his seat and started pacing around the desk, hair falling into his eyes. "You're right; I have no right to expect you to forgive me. I've done nothing to earn it, but dam nit that's why I'm here."

He looked at Yuri with pleading fury in his eyes, the redness of them just now making itself known to Yuri. The Omega also noticed the lack of sheen in the straw-like hair of the Alpha and for the first time an ounce of pity formed in his stomach.

"I made a mistake, Yurio." Victor moved back toward the Omega, leaning down on his knees so that he was looking up into Yuri's face. Yuri bit his lip defiantly and turned away. "I made a huge mistake, and I want to fix it. I will do everything in my power to fix it. Just please—what do you—"Victor's voice caught and he shook his head, looking down.

Yuri took a shaky breath and looked at the Alpha, his hair was thinning a bit on top, and at this angle, Yuri was able to see just how badly fitted the clothes were, as the collar hung off of him, exposing his chest—though not the chest Yuri remembered. This chest was so thin, stretched across bones and so very pale. Yuri took another breath—angry this time.

"Did Yuuri send you here?" He said angrily. "Did he tell you to come get me or else he'd stop talking to you or something?"

Victor chocked on a barely there sob as he looked up into the stunning green eyes. Yuri was proud of his features now—ever since his 17th birthday, he'd filled out. His jaw line was angular still, though much more prominent, his hair had grown past his shoulders and flowed healthily down his back in a brilliant waterfall of blond. His shoulders and chest had broadened slightly, though still petite in all; he was rather muscular for an Omega.

The idea of their meeting like this was ironic. Their first meeting, Victor had been so beautiful he wasn't even able to follow the simple rule of not staring at him. And now—Victor's handsome features were underplayed by the overall look of sickness.

"Yuuri doesn't know I'm here." Came Victor's voice, stronger than before, yet still shaking just slightly. Yuri looked at him for a long moment before the Alpha continued. "He's in Japan."

Yuri made a face, prompting the Alpha to elaborate even further. When Victor stayed silent, he prompted him. "Let me guess, he left you and you thought you'd come here and get me back and then offer me as a peace treaty?" He said sarcastically, folding his arms and frowning slightly.

Victor didn't speak, and Yuri waited for a long moment before it hit him and he gasped.

"Whoa wait, he really left you? But—"He was suddenly at a loss for words. Omegas didn't leave their Alphas. He had never heard of such a thing. Sure Omegas could get angry and stop being pleasant, maybe even disobey to a degree, but he'd never heard of one leaving. And what's worse—Yuuri and Victor were bonded.

"How…how could he leave? You're…you're…"

Victor stood up suddenly, forcing Yuri to sit back in his chair as the Alpha sighed and ran his thin fingers through his brittle hair. "Yes." He said simply.

"Yes, he left." His voice was so soft that Yuri had to strain to hear him. "He went back to Japan because I was making him miserable."

Yuri shook his head in disbelief. "How were you making him miserable? He's nuts about you."

"He's nuts about you. And I was the reason you left." Victor laughed softly and shook his head again. "I'm sure he tried. He and I have been together for so long—there's no way he just gave up. But you—"he looked at Yuri with a twinkle in his eye. "You're special, Yurio."

"Special?"

Victor sighed and nodded. "Yes. And I wasn't able to see it fully, but Yuuri was. You…were meant to be with us."

Yuri made a face of annoyance and rolled his eyes.

"I'm serious Yurio!" Victor said. "There's only one way that a Mated Omega would stray from their Alpha. Only one reason they would leave their bond—"

"You think Yuuri and I are soul mates?" Yuri laughed. He actually laughed and he couldn't stop. It was all too funny, too crazy.

"Oh." Victor's voice rang over his laughter. "You think it's stupid? Impossible?"

"Victor listen to yourself!" Yuri said through laughter. "Yuuri and I aren't soul mates! Soul mates aren't even real."

Victor nodded, glaring dangerously at the Omega. "So, you don't think of Yuuri? You don't care to see him or hear from him?"

Yuri stopped laughing, the smile still on his face as he nodded. "Of course I'd like to see him. Yuuri was—he was my first love I guess."

"Ah, but you moved on?"

"It's been over a year—hell almost two years. Yes, I've moved on."

"You wouldn't give up your precious Alpha in there for the chance to be with Yuuri again?" Victor pointed toward the door and Yuuri stared into his eyes. All the laughter was completely gone from his face as he listened to Victor. "You didn't fall to pieces when you left? You didn't mourn the loss of your mate?"

Yuri glared then, standing up from his chair and moving toward Victor. "Of course I fell apart!" He growled, getting so close that he could practically bite him. "I was in love, Victor. I was happy and in love and I wanted you to be too, and you rejected me! You rejected me and I covered for you by telling him that I didn't want him!" Yuri backed away, too antsy to stay in one place. He began pacing back and forth, huffing with anger and fisting his fingers angrily.

"But I didn't have the luxury of mourning, Victor. No, I was here. I was in this special kind of Hell!" He screamed the last word and then continued on with barely a breath. "I was here in these tiny little dorms with absolutely no privacy, taking timed showers and eating some grey shit they were able to pass for food. I was getting sick from the dirty water and losing weight based on lack of nutrition and fucking watching as my friends were dying!" He was breathing so hard at this point that he had to stop and take a breath. He closed his eyes, inhaled and opened them again, staring directly at Victor. "So yeah, maybe I was sad, but I didn't get to just sit around all day and make of romanticized fantasies that maybe we were soul mates."

Victor was quiet for a long time, staring at Yuri with something that Yuri couldn't place.

"Yuri, I want to Court you."

Yuri had been mentally prepping for literally any response, but that. Court him? Was Victor being serious? There was no way. Honestly, looking back on it now, he had nothing in common with Victor. Other than their mutual like for Yuuri, there was literally nothing else.

Not that Alpha/Omega relationships often worked off of common interests exactly, but still. This was the same issue he had over a year ago. Victor was going to do whatever he needed to make Yuuri happy, to get Yuuri back—and it would leave Yuri with a wonderful lover in Yuuri, but lacking in Alpha.

He didn't deserve to be part of a pack that only half loved him. It wasn't fair to him.

"Why?" He said, a little more passive than he meant. He wanted to come off strong, aggressive and serious, but there was no faking it in front of Victor.

"Because. You deserve it."

Victor stood then, brushing off his ill-fitted suit and sighing. "Yuri There is no way I can tell you how much I want this. You're always going to think that I'm doing it for Yuuri; you're always going to think that you'll be second to him. So the only way I can convince you is by Courting you. "Victor sighed again.

"What makes you think I want you to Court me?"

Victor smiled, obviously pleased about something. "Nothing. But I hope that you'll consider what I have to offer you."

He looked over Yuri's shoulder and nodded and Yuri heard the door open. He had completely forgotten that Otabek was there. It made him feel—vulnerable—to know that the Director had seen his outburst. Hell most Directors would have been mortified if an Omega of theirs had done that to another Director, let alone Victor Nikiforov.

Yuri sighed and turned and watched Victor walk toward the door. "Yuri, please consider this. Even if it's just for Yuuri's sake—consider letting me Court you."

Without another word, Victor walked out of the door, and Otabek closed it behind him and motioned for Yuri to look around. Yuri did, staring at the desk still a little shocked.

"That glass of water is for you, Yura." Yuri reached out and took it, holding it for a long moment before Otabek cleared his throat and he was shocked into drinking it.

"If you'd like me to have him leave…" Otabek trailed off as Yuri finished the water. The Omega stared at the Director for a long time, just thinking, breathing. He wasn't sure.

On the one hand, Victor had absolutely nothing to offer him as an Alpha. Well—other than money, a wonderful place to live, security, comfort and of course—Yuuri. But that wasn't everything! Their relationship would never be like a typical Alpha/Omega.

Except…there was no typical relationship. There were romantic novels, about the damsel Omega and the Hero Alpha. The destined lovers kept apart by class but drawn together—and there were the relationships people showed you. The homemaker Omega with the breadwinner Alpha, happy and completely normal. But things were never that black and white.

Yes, Victor may only be there for Yuuri, and maybe that wasn't fair to him exactly, but he knew that the Alpha didn't hate him at least. When Victor had started putting distance between them, Yuri had thought he hated him—but now, he could smell the Alpha with a more experienced pallet. He could smell the fondness, the relief in seeing him healthy, he could see in Victor's eyes how honestly happy he had been to see him.

So maybe Courting was a big step…he hadn't even been willing to let JJ take him to a Private Viewing. But Victor…he was—well Victor. All of the reasons to not let him court him seemed miniscule to the idea of seeing Yuuri again. But he had to be realistic. Would Yuuri be enough to make him happy?

"Yura?"

Yuri jumped and shook his head. "No, I mean—I don't know if I want him to Court me officially…but he can stay."

He was glad that he had the back up of having Otabek get rid of him. He didn't think Victor would ever get too handsy, but there was something ominous about spending time with the Director. It was much easier to deal with a rich Alpha who just so happened to be a Director and still have the comfort of knowing he didn't hold his future in his hands.

He wondered vaguely if that may have contributed to some of their issues, but his thoughts were cut off when Otabek opened the door again and motioned for him to leave.

"The ice rink is empty right now. I'll give you an extra hour of curfew if you need it."

Yuri grinned, feeling the idea spread through him like magic. Skating would help. Skating would let him figure out all of these stupid ludicrous feelings. God bless Otabek—seriously.

/

It took Yuri a ridiculously long time to figure out that perhaps Victor wasn't only there to see him.

His classes weren't taking up nearly as much of his day as they used to, but it was still a fair bit of time. That was the whole point of Viewings. The Alpha didn't have to sit around and wait for the Omegas to come available. They showed up at a specific time, as did the Omegas and they spent time with them.

But Victor—Victor was always there. At first he had thought Victor was doing this on purpose; showing his face around so that it was a constant thought on Yuri's mind. But after Yuri stopped dashing behind other people, and diving behind trashcans he realized that Victor was preoccupied.

The silver haired Alpha was giving notes to nameless members of staff who would all write his words down enthusiastically. Victor would stop and point things out; the staff would take pictures and then scribble in their little notebooks. Surely Victor wasn't helping a competing House…that would be silly.

Despite his growing suspicions of the Alpha, Yuri agreed to see him privately again two days after their initial conversation. Though this time he made a point to pick the place. He didn't want to be in Otabek's office—it was too close to Victor's comfort zone. And the Viewing rooms were private for sure, but still a little too close to his minds idea of JJ. And seeing as he was avoiding that subject altogether, he didn't really want to be reminded of it.

So he settled on one of the classrooms in the Special Courses building. Victor hadn't said a word about it, he'd simply nodded and then showed up at their agreed upon time.

"You showed." Yuri said, trying to be polite without being too polite.

Victor smiled and nodded. "Yes, well—I'm the interested party, so of course I showed."

Yuri glared at the Alpha before walking past him and into the classroom. "Leave the door open." He said as Victor walked in behind him. The Alpha nodded and left the door wide open.

"So here we are—spending time together." Yuri said after a moment of awkward silence. Victor had just been staring at him, his thin finger touching the tip of his chin with the hint of a smile playing at his lips.

The words seemed to jolt Victor out of whatever thought process he was currently in and he clasped his hands together.

"Yes, well. I figured we could start out a bit formally."

"Formally?" Yuri asked as he watched Victor pull a sheet of paper out of his coat pocket.

"Do you always repeat what others say in the form of a question?" Victor asked in a completely calm voice as he unfolded the paper and smoothed it out on the table in front of them. "I didn't notice that when I first met you."

Yuri grumbled angrily, folding his arms and sitting back in his chair.

"Anyway, I thought we could just ask each other some basic questions. See if there's anything we like about each other."

Yuri rolled his eyes. "So you admit that there's no reason, other than Yuuri, that you want to Court me? How flattering."

Victor glanced up slowly at the Omega and studied him for a moment before shaking his head slightly and letting a grin play at his lips.

"Did you want to ask the questions or would you rather me ask them?" Victor said pushing on and refusing to comment on Yuri's accusation. Yuri leaned forward again and snatched the paper from the table and studied it.

"Really? What is this, 20 questions?" He asked scanning down the list.

"Well what better way of getting to know someone? If you'd rather just sit in silence—"

"No no. I'm stuck here for an hour and I don't want to waste my time. Okay fist question." He said, leaning back and crossing his leg gracefully. He adjusted his wrap a little and let the extra fabric lay over his knee before reading off.

"Do you like animals and if so, what is your favorite?" He read the question and then grinned, looking at the Alpha with judgment. He didn't seriously think these kinds of questions would get them very far, did he?

"I actually love animals." Victor said, eyes lighting up slightly. "The Omega House I own," He looked at Yuri with a grin, sharing the idea that they were starting over. Yuri rolled his eyes but let him continue, "Has several acres or horse riding lands as well as a few minor farm animals and even an aquarium."

"Salsk has an aquarium?" Yuri asked suddenly. He had very little interest in aquatic animals, but he had never known that.

Victor nodded with a grin. "I had it installed about 8 years ago when it was trendy to go scuba diving on holiday. More and more Alphas desired Omegas who knew their way around the ocean, so I had one installed."

"Yuri stared at him for a long time, disbelieving his ears. "You just put an aquarium in…just like that?" Must be nice to have so much money that you could do that while the Omegas here were starving and likely dying.

Victor hesitated a moment. "Well, it was a lot of work. I had to get permits and have trained aquatic scientists hired on and then actually finding the right animals – it was a bit more of a hassle than 'just like that', but essentially, yes."

Yuri frowned. "So are fish your favorite animals then?"

Victor shook his head. "No, I'm more a fan of birds I guess."

"Does Salsk have an Aviary as well?" Yuri asked with another roll of his eyes. Victor chuckled and shook his head.

"No, not enough interest, I'm afraid."

It was quiet for a moment, while Yuri took in the answer and all of the information, then he leaned forward again and looked at the list.

"Ah ah, this works both ways. You have to answer the question too." Victor said with a flip of his hair. Yuri swallowed, and then shrugged.

"I guess I like Tigers. Or Panthers. Or Bobcats." He said looking at the list again.

"You like cats? Or just big cats?" Victor asked, cocking his head to the side a bit. Yuri shrugged.

"I don't know—I guess I like all cats. Domestic ones are okay too." He looked at the list again and opened his mouth to speak when Victor broke in again.

"Have you ever had a cat?"

Yuri inhaled deeply and was about to tell him NO, when he realized that he had had a cat. When he was very young.

"Actually…yes. His name was Gato. My father gave him to me." He paused and looked down at the list with a smile on his face. "He was the worst cat in the world. Never did anything, just laid around and ate and slept."

Victor chuckled. "Isn't that the life of a cat?" He said with a flourished wave of his hand. "They rule us, though we think we rule them."

Yuri grinned and nodded. "My dad and I used to try and get him to hunt. We had a big mice problem during the summers, and the whole point of Gato was for him to hunt. But my dad made a mistake. Apparently female cats are the real hunters."

Victor grinned. "But you loved Gato?" Yuri looked at him and nodded softly. "Then he made no mistake."

Yuri sniffled and then shook his head, sitting up straighter and looking at the paper again.

"Okay next question."

/

Everyday instead of going to Viewings, Yuri met Victor in the same classroom. They made their way slowly down the list of Victor's questions and even Yuri had to admit that he felt like he knew the Alpha quite a bit more. Even if it was surface things, it was still something.

He even had to admit that they didn't really have too many contradictory hobbies. They may not have shared many, but Victor didn't seem to like anything that Yuri particularly hated. It wasn't much, but it was enough.

After they made their way through the list, Yuri suggested they actually do some things together.

"Whoa, you're asking me for a date? Seems a bit backwards, but okay." Victor teased when he'd brought it up.

Yuri made a face and rolled his eyes before shaking his head gently. "No, pridurok, you're just boring me."

Victor laughed and nodded his head. "I see." He said with a grin.

"And besides," Yuri continued motioning for the Alpha to follow him, "There's nothing wrong with an Omega asking an Alpha out."

At first, Yuri headed toward the ice rink, but he changed his mind at the last moment. He wasn't sure he was ready to invite Victor into that part of his life yet. If all of this fell apart again—and based on prior experience, it would—then he'd still want something pure, just for him.

They headed outside instead, and Victor stuck his hands into his pockets and nodded. "Wow, outside—how intriguing."

Yuri glared "Well what do you suggest, big shot."

Victor stopped and looked around for a moment before holding his finger up and grinning. "I think I have just the thing." He slipped his hand back into his pocket and nodded away from the building.

Yuri followed suspiciously, though he was fully aware that he was safe. Victor was by no means a large Alpha, especially since he had lost so much weight, but he was still pretty intimidating, and although Yuri hated the idea of relying on an Alpha, he had to admit it made him feel safer.

Victor led them past the Special Courses building, out way back in the field. He headed straight for a wooden horse fence that penned several beautiful horses—though none of them were currently out at the moment. The Alpha leaned against the fence and smiled at Yurio.

"This was your big plan? Pridurok." He mumbled moving beside him and stepping up on the fence to rest his own arms against the top.

Victor grinned. "Well, you brought us outside; I figured you wanted to see the sunset." Yuri made a face and then a 'pfft' noise before looking off to the side.

He didn't mind sunsets, but they were a little overrated for him. Though it was really nice out, and the fence was oddly comfortable.

"Should we be here?" Yuri asked into the comfortable silence.

"Well we have another 45 minutes, so I think it's okay. We can go back if you want." Victor said, looking at his watch.

Yuri shook his head. "No, I mean are we going to get in trouble for trespassing?"

"Oh!" Victor said with a little laugh. "No we're fine. The House owns this plot of land back here."

Yuri nodded and then looked at the Alpha slowly. "How is it that you know all of The House's business? Does Otabek pay you to advise him or something?"

Victor grinned, though didn't look at Yuri when he answered. "Something like that."

Yuri eyed him suspiciously and then shook off the question. He guessed it didn't matter what Victor and Otabek had agreed on and anyway, it was none of his business. He looked off back towards the House where the windows were lit up like gold from the sun light. Even with all of the cleaning and shrubbery, the House still had a distinct prison like look—but in this light, it was kind of beautiful.

He sighed softly at the site and the feel of the gentle breeze blowing through his hair and along his face. This wasn't so bad. He didn't go outside too often except to cross between the main House and the Special Courses building.

"Something on your mind, Yurio?" Victor said in a soft voice.

Yuri looked at him and he found himself smiling back at the Alpha despite himself. "Actually, no. Nothing at all."

Victor nodded and looked toward the sunset. "That's nice." He said with a sigh, "To not have anything plaguing your mind."

Yuri frowned then. "Something plaguing your mind, Victor?" He asked blandly.

Victor didn't look back at him. He was still for a moment and then shook his head with a soft puff of breath. "No, nothing out of the usual."

"Well what's the usual?" Victor turned and looked at the Omega as if to size him up. Yuri stood up a little straighter and puffed out his chest dramatically. "I'm not a delicate flower," He said in a false deep voice. "I can handle it."

Victor smiled broadly and shook his head with a chuckle. "Well since you asked so sincerely…" He adjusted himself and slipped free of the fence and leaned up against it.

"Well I'm considering a few changes to Salsk, but I'm not able to really see if it would be a benefit or not, so I'll have to take a leap of faith and that's not always a good business practice. I'm a little concerned about what the effect this House will have on St. Petersburg in a political sense. I know it's a good change, but it could mean a lot of dangerous social and political work in the near future. I'm trying to work out again, but my trainer is taking it very slow and I'm not exactly a patient person. I'm still not sure if I'm doing the right thing trying to woo you and take you away from your other suitors, and as always I'm beside myself with worry about Yuuri."

Yuri's eyes were wide as the onslaught ended and he shook his head slowly. "You—should probably see a therapist."

Victor laughed out loud and shook his head. "I think you may be right."

Yuri grinned and then shook his head again. It was kind of nice to know that Victor was worried about all of that "Okay well maybe work through one worry at a time."

Victor eyed him good-naturedly. "I see…" He said leaving the sentence open to invitation. Yuri rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Well, for starters, pick the things you can actually work to fix. So there's nothing you can do about the changes that the House will have on the City. It's already done, the changes are in place and it's a waiting game at this point."

Victor nodded, his smile still soft on his lips as Yuri continued. "You don't really have to worry about wooing me, because you're doing a piss poor job of it and you're not taking me away from any suitors because I make my own choices." Yuri stared at Victor for a moment, just to let his point sink in. Victor nodded and then held up his hands in a defeated gesture.

"Point taken." The Alpha said with his handsome grin still plastered on his face.

"There's nothing you can do about stopping your worry for Yuuri, so I won't really say anything about that, and your changes at Salsk all depend on what they are."

Victor was quiet, grinning from ear to ear as Yuri finished his speech. He knew it wasn't fair to think that people acted a certain way because of their gender, but he had never had an Omega be so calm and logical about things. Even Yuuri would let his emotions and feelings cloud his judgment.

"Well?" Yuri's voice broke through Victor's thoughts and the Alpha shook his head.

"Well what?"

Yuri rolled his eyes. "What are the changes you're thinking about for Salsk?" The Omega asked irritably. Victor just kept grinning as he took a breath and thought of the changes he had been thinking about.

"I definitely like Otabek's idea of color coded wraps. It's actually complete genius and I want to implement something like it in Salsk. I want to extend Viewing times by making them available earlier in the day, and I was thinking about changing some of the Special Courses to Basics for older Omegas. Like cooking, driving and basic cleaning—things that people should know as an adult period."

Yuri nodded his head and furrowed his eyebrows as he took in the ideas.

"The color codes are good. Even the Omegas are enjoying that because we know who is going through what we're going through. I know not to sit next to someone with a red emblem because they're gonna want to talk about Alpha's non-stop, and pick themselves apart for not being picked yet. So that's a good idea."

Victor nodded as Yuri continued. "I don't really see the point of extending Viewing times."

"Well if you were available at an earlier time, then we could see each other for lunch. Or even spend most of the day together, rather than having to abide by a 3 – 5 hour burst. "

"What does that matter? As long as you see each other you can still get to know each other." Yuri said.

Victor shrugged. "Yes, but you have to consider how busy the average Alpha is. Especially the ones who are willing to pay more money for a well Kept Omega. They may only be available during lunch during the week. By making Viewings between 4pm and 8pm during the week and 4pm and 10 pm on the weekends, you're cutting off an entire demographic of working Alphas."

Yuri opened his mouth and then promptly shut it. He hadn't ever really thought of it that way.

"Isn't an Omega a big deal though? Should Alphas really be making this sort of decision based on small lunch meetings during the week?"

Victor shrugged again, "I suppose not."

"There should be a log or something. Like in order to get the Omega you have to spend at least x amount of hours with them." Yuri said looking up thoughtfully. "That way the House knows that it's serious."

Victor nodded but then shook his head. "I don't think many Houses are going to turn down an Alpha's request to purchase just because they haven't met a quota. A lot of Houses will still let an Alpha take an Omega without any time spent together for the right price."

Yuri frowned at that. "We're not talking about other Houses though. We're talking about Salsk."

Victor raised his eyebrows and nodded. "That's true. I guess I can do whatever I want within reason."

Yuri nodded and grinned. "Exactly. And there can always be special cases. Like for Mates or old acquaintances." Yuri didn't know if he actually believed in Soul Mates, but it had never actually been disproven, and he had definitely heard of Omegas being purchased by old childhood friends. Those sorts of situations could be handled differently.

Victor nodded, looking at Yuri with a very impressed grin on his face. He couldn't believe how easy it was to discuss business with him. Yuuri had always been level headed enough to be a sounding board, but he never actually came up with ideas or gave feedback. It was nice for when Victor just wanted to talk himself through something. But having someone who would give opinions—especially an Omega who lived through the House experience—that was nice.

"Your expansion of Basics is a good idea too." Yuri said shrugging off the topic of Viewing hours. "It will equip them with skills that they could use with or without an Alpha."

Honestly the more Yuri thought about it, the more he liked the idea. He wasn't a terrible cook. He could boil water, and make eggs and pasta, but actually knowing a bit more would be really helpful if he ever found himself outside of a House without an Alpha.

"I think this is the first conversation we've had where you haven't insulted me." Victor said with a grin, pulling Yuri out of his thoughts and back to the field they were in. The Omega forced a scowl and then shoved away from the fence.

"Pridurok."


	10. Chapter 10- Guilt

Spending time with Victor proved to be much less painful than Yuri had thought it would. Even after their initial conversations on getting to know the basics, he could still tell that he wasn't fully ready to open up completely to Victor. Personal things were hard for him in general, but specifically with Victor. Luckily the Alpha didn't seem to mind.

Victor was an open book after their sunset 'date' and Yuri was perfectly happy letting the Alpha do most of the talking. He was starting to get a real feel of the Alpha now, and he couldn't deny his growing fondness, though there was always that little—something.

Yuri hoped down the staircase towards the first floor after he threw his notes into his dorm, planning to head straight for the ice rink to clear his mind. As he came out of the stair well, he cocked his head in interest as he saw Otabek standing outside of his office speaking with a very familiar Alpha.

"It's unacceptable." Otabek said in a calm, yet firm voice. JJ was standing directly in front of him, anger evident on his face as he spoke in a much louder voice.

"What kind of a backassward House are you running if an Alpha can't even get to know an Omega!" He said, nearly shaking.

And shit, Yuri gulped. He had completely ignored JJ ever since Victor came into the picture. At first, he was just angry that JJ had felt the need to know his business before they even started to Court. Then he became anxious as his fondness for Victor had grown, and now he was avoiding the Viewing Room altogether for fear of running into the Alpha and having to explain himself.

Honestly he wasn't even sure where his feelings were. He liked JJ—probably more than he'd like to admit, but there was no denying his feelings for Victor either, and that wasn't even touching on the feelings for Yuuri. He was confused and just plain scared to confront those feelings.

Yuri watched as Otabek's calm features flashed anger.

"Do not try to blame the House for this. You know the rules perfectly well." Otabek's voice was still a lot calmer than JJ's but it was easy to hear the note of fury that bubbled just below.

Yuri turned and dashed out of the nearest exit, avoiding the situation…again.

On the ice, Yuri let his anxiety melt away as he listened to the sound of blade on ice. He didn't need to overcomplicate this. He needed to just follow his gut. The only issue was that his gut was tied up in knots and unhelpful in nearly every way.

He threw his arms out, lifting his foot back and glided easily along the smooth surface. He just needed a little more time. Victor was definitely his initial desire—but he wasn't sure if that was because of Yuuri. Victor and Yuuri were a package deal in his mind and he didn't know if that was quite fair to JJ. Choosing Victor just because he had an Omega…one that Yuri desperately wanted to see again.

"Yurio…"

Victor's voice broke through his thoughts and he let his foot fall as he opened his eyes in surprise.

"Victor…what are you—"

"Yurio, I needed to talk to you. Otabek said you might be in here." Victor walked up to the edge of the rink and leaned against it, motioning for Yuri to come over.

He sighed, rolling his eyes and moved to skate over before changing his mind and turning toward the exit. "I'm done anyway." He said with a little edge to his voice. "I'll just change and meet you outside."

Victor moved quickly, making it toward the exit in time to help the Omega off the ice. Yuri rolled his eyes again, but used Victor to balance himself as he put his blade covers on.

"This can't wait, Yurio."

Yuri stopped and looked up, one hand on his blade one hand on the Alpha as the sincerity of the words struck him.

"Okay…" He baited, a little worried. "I guess we can sit on the bench."

Victor nodded and waited for Yuri to finish with his blades before they both walked to the nearest bench and sat down.

Victor took a breath and puffed it out loudly.

"Yuri, I honestly have no idea how I'm supposed to do this. " He began softly. "I want to be honest with you and I can't stand keeping things from you for one more second."

Yuri glared at the Alpha, keeping his face blank and wishing Victor would have at least let him shower. He was sweaty and uncomfortable and probably smelled and he didn't want Victor to know he could smell bad.

Whoa.

That was a weird thought. He didn't care what the hell Victor thought.

"Well I guess I'm just going to start with the easiest confession." Victor said more to himself than to Yuri, "I uh…well Otabek doesn't own this House."

Yuri's look of suspicion didn't change as he waited for Victor to finish his thought. "He's just the Director that the owner…that I…put in charge here."

The look of suspicion disappeared giving way to a blank, unblinking look. He couldn't have heard that properly. Victor owned St Petersburg Omega House? That was—No.

"You own the St. Petersburg Omega House?"

Victor nodded slowly, lip pulled between his teeth as he watched the Omega back up slowly. So this whole time…their terrible last director, the awful conditions, his—his friend's deaths…

"So…wait so…" Yuri couldn't even gather his thoughts. "This…all of this…" He looked around still awestruck. "…is yours?"

Victor nodded again.

"I can't…you…"

"Yuri, listen to me, I never meant to keep it from you. I just didn't want you to think that you had to do anything that you didn't want to do just because I owned the House you live in."

Suddenly Yuri's anger made itself known. His brows furrowed, palms went sweaty and he was sure the heat in his face turned his skin pink with absolute furry.

"So everything that happened over the past year was entirely your fault?!" His voice was loud and boomed in a carrying echo across the rink.

Victor jumped back a little, confusion on his face as Yuri bellowed.

"You let this place sit here and fester in its own waste while Salsk was beautiful and wonderful? You let hundreds of Omegas suffer here over the years while you sat up in your pristine little oasis!? And what? Just decided out of nowhere that because you couldn't keep your own Omega happy that you'd finally do something about it?!"

"What? No, Yuri you don't—"

"People died, Victor! My friends! My classmates died just in this past year! That's not even counting the other lives that were lost while you sat high and mighty in your big House! You're the most selfish, uncaring—"

"Enough!" The words were strong, and most obviously an order. Yuri's knees wobbled but he forced himself to stay standing as the weight of the order ran through his bones. He bit his lip, hard enough to draw blood, to keep himself from falling to the ground. He finally felt the need to submit dissipate when he heard Victor sigh loudly.

The Alpha shook his head, and Yuri struggled to meet his eyes as he felt his body relax again. "Yurio, I recently purchased this House." He spoke much softer this time, and it took a moment for Yuri to fully understand what he said.

"Recently?"

Victor nodded. "Yes, I bought the owners out, right after the deaths of those Omegas several months back." He looked at Yuri for a moment before continuing. "I should have told you."

Yuri shook his head, still a little stunned and embarrassed by his outburst. All of the changes that had been happening, all of the positive new rules, the robes, the cleaning—everything was because of Victor. He wondered for a moment if Victor had done it to please Yuuri, but then remembered that Yuuri had left for Japan before the House's change.

"Why did you buy the House?" He asked finally.

Victor was silent for a moment, cocking his head to the left and tucking his bottom lip in thought. "I uh—I suppose I should tell you everything, Yuri."

Yuri groaned and leaned against the back of the bench in a slouch "Is this going to be a long story?" He asked sarcastically, trying to break the tension from his previous outburst.

Victor huffed out a nervous laugh as he ran a hand through his hair. "I guess I can try and cut it down. Maybe it's best if I say it fast anyway."

Yuri looked at him calmly. Whatever this was, it must have been important to the Alpha. Just his body language, his uncomfortable posture and his constant fidgeting told him that it wasn't going to be comfortable for him. So he waited patiently.

"Okay, well my family has owned the Salsk House for generations; we actually opened the House in the early 1800's." Victor shook his head. "Not that that is important to this story." He huffed again, running his fingers through his hair and started again.

"So my father met my mother in Japan. The Alpha's in my family nearly always go abroad for their Omega's and my father fell madly in love with my mother when he met her. She had been transferred from the St. Petersburg Omega House to a Japanese Omega House due to her poor health. And when she told him about the treatment she received in St. Petersburg, he became obsessed with forcing the House to shut down, and then one day his plan changed to buying it out right."

Yuri listened quietly; trying to keep his face neutral, though hearing about Victor's family was definitely making the Omega in him purr in delight. To have an Alpha open up about something so personal was definitely part of Courting, and even though he had agreed to the Courting weeks ago, this was a big step.

"He began looking into laws and City regulations and Omega Policies to see if he could force them to sell or at least force them to close so that the City would put it on the market, but as he studied up on all of these things, he found how unjust the system was towards Omegas. His basic goal was to take over St. Petersburg as a personal favor for my mother, but he ended up really obsessed with getting Omega Policies changed to help protect and care for unmated Omegas."

"Anyway, so that's how I was raised. He made sure I was aware of the harsh treatment of Omegas and how Salsk was a place of refuge and safety as much as a place for them to find Alphas."

Victor took a breath and looked down at his shoes. Yuri waited for a moment before nodding his encouragement. "Go on…"

Victor looked up, his face was screwed up in a tortured mask, but he smiled bravely and continued.

"Yuuri and I had been together for about a year and a half when my father took us into town on one of his business dealings. It was a nasty sort of day, snowing on and off, sleeting most of the day too, and by the time he finished, the conditions were pretty bad. The idea to stay in a hotel was thrown aside because it was still a little uncomfortable for me to have Yuuri around other people—especially Alphas, and there was just no way of controlling that sort of thing in a Hotel. So my dad decided to drive us home."

Victor was quiet again, his voice had gone a little shaky and he was no longer even attempting to look at Yuri. He took a breath and began again, his voice soft and breath ragged.

"There was an accident." He said finally, "Another car had lost control and was speeding down the road and ran right into us."

Yuri's eyes went wide; his hand went to Victor's leg unconsciously in an effort to sooth the Alpha.

"He—he didn't make it." Victor took a long breath and continued just as shaky, "And the man in the other car didn't either."

"Victor…"

The Alpha rose from his seat and sighed, his hand coming up and covering his face while he took deep breaths to steady himself.

"If I had just told my father that a Hotel was okay…"

Yuri stood then, walking over and putting his hand on Victor's shoulder. He wasn't so good at comfort, he knew, but he also knew that Victor had been carrying this around for a while. And for some reason the Alpha had it in his mind that he could have prevented the terrible accident.

"Victor, stop. It was an accident. You couldn't have changed anything."

Victor shook his head and moved away from Yuri's touch, standing up and huffing. "Yuri, the other car—the man…"

"It wasn't your fault." Yuri said again.

"Yuri the other man…in the other car… he was your father." He said softly.

Yuri's mind went temporarily blank. He stood there, looking at Victor with a mixture of shock and disbelief.

"My… My father he—" died…in a car accident. His eyes went wide and he took a step back from Victor, looking at the older man in pure shock.

"Yuri—"

He kept backing up. His vision was beginning to blur around the edges and he could feel his heart rate speed up as he realized what Victor was telling him. He hadn't actually thought of his own father in…years. He had been so young when the man had died. His grandfather had raised him as his own and in his mind that was his father.

Now, thinking about him, thinking about how he died, how Victor and Yuuri had been there—tears filled his eyes and he blinked causing them to spill over and run down his cheeks.

"Yuri please…I'm so sorry." Victor's voice was soft and so broken, that Yuri had the desire to release a calming scent to console the Alpha. He did. Despite whatever Victor thought, it still wasn't his fault. It had been an accident. So he released the most soothing scent he could manage and he watched through teary eyes as Victor inhaled deeply.

"How…" Yuri couldn't fully form his thoughts into words. His father being dead was always going to be a sad point. Even though he never felt like he'd gotten the short end of the stick, there was something about losing a parent—something about losing a father.

In all the years he'd lived with his mother and grandfather he had asked only a handful of times how his father had died. The only answer he received was that it was a car accident. He had a blurry memory that let him know it was cold on the night his mother had told him his dad had died, and he remembered vaguely going to the hospital, but she never actually told him anything other than the car accident part. And it was hard to hear about it.

Victor gulped, "I saw them take you to the hospital. And I kind of…kept up with you…"

Yuri nodded slowly, looking down and taking a breath. Okay sure, that made…wait what?

"You saw them…" He looked up at Victor in confusion.

Victor nodded gently, not meeting his eyes. "Yes. I saw them pull a toddler from the car. It wasn't very hard to find out who you were—since we were in the accident I guess they saw it as simply wanting to make sure you were okay—which was true." He added a little forcefully.

"You were so young. And your mother was understandably distraught so I wasn't able to really speak to her at the hospital. I spent months trying to figure out who you were, and after some time I figured it out." Victor took a step toward him, but Yuri instinctively stepped back. As soon as he'd done it he felt bad, because the Alpha took two steps back and hung his head before continuing.

"When I did finally find you, your grandfather had moved in and they told me how you would likely be an Omega. Apparently your father was a Beta and the Omega gene from your mother was the dominant. So I made a point to just—keep an eye on you."

Yuri took deep shuddering breaths, trying to clear his mind and just accept what he'd been told. He had never realized he had been in the car too. That would explain his mother's overprotective nature of him for sure. And he certainly hadn't realized that Victor had been keeping an eye on him.

Their farm had been a fairly successful one, and he knew that most years they were completely fine financially, though definitely not rich. But he did recall those few years when the harvest had been poor and they somehow managed to make it through without going hungry even one day. He had always assumed they were just lucky, or perhaps they had money saved up, but now—ugh he couldn't think about that!

"I don't understand…why are you telling me this?" His voice was still soft, he was still a little dazed by the confession.

Victor sighed again, shaking his head. "Well, when you came into my office on your first day, I didn't actually recognize you. Presenting had definitely done it's work on you. And when Yuuri showed interest, I thought maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to have a second Omega—Packs are pretty common after all, and I could definitely take care of another person." He hesitated and then forced himself on. "But when you said your name…And I finally recognized you—I don't know. I guess all of the feelings from the accident, the guilt and the torment came back."

Yuri shook his head, not quite understanding. "Are you saying…that you made me feel like you didn't want me, because you felt guilty?" The anger in his voice was becoming evident and Victor gulped as he nodded.

"How…how does that even make sense, Victor?! You're guilty about my father dying so your instinct is to make me feel unwelcome and unloved?"

Victor shook his head. "No no! Yuri, please, understand. My actions had nothing to do with any regard to you."

"What?! You just said—"

"I said that my guilt came back." He paused and then went on slowly, his voice calm. "Yuri my actions toward you were purely selfish. Yuuri was so taken with you, and you were taken with him, and I could see how we could be happy—despite the odd connection. But I didn't want to have an uncomfortable conversation. I didn't want to bother myself with the unpleasantness."

Yuri had been on the verge of screaming at the Alpha when he'd broken into his little monologue. He was right though. He had been selfish, completely selfish. Who ruins two other people's happiness just to prevent a few days of awkwardness?

"Why wouldn't you just tell me? Or maybe have Yuuri tell me?"

Victor shook his head. "Yuuri didn't know it was you." He said running his fingers through his hair. "I guess I was hoping it would all just go away. That maybe once you left, Yuuri would get over you and we'd go back to the way it was before…"

Yuri shook in anger. "And what about me? You just left me here to rot?"

Victor looked sadly at Yuri and took a step forward only to have the Omega step back. He lowered his hand and shook his head.

"Yuri, I am not going to give myself any excuses here. The facts are, I was too selfish to think of what was best for my Omega. I was too selfish to think of what was best for you. And I was too scared to have a conversation that would have saved us all so much grief. Before Yuuri left me…I have to say I led a pretty comfortable life. That sort of comfort makes it real hard to recognize when you need to step out of your comfort zone to do what's right. I hate that it took me messing up your life to realize what I was doing was wrong, but that's why I came back."

Yuri stared at him for a long time, glaring and scowling with anger. Selfish was not even close to what Victor had been. He couldn't even think of a good word to describe it! He was so angry that he seriously could punch the idiot right in the nose.

But then again—the fact that Victor wasn't making excuses. The fact that he was owning it, and trying to fix it—that couldn't be over looked either.

He hadn't realized how much time had passed until he heard Victor's soft plea for forgiveness breath through his minds narrator. He looked at the Alpha and shook his head.

"I honestly don't even know what to say to you, Victor." He said honestly. "I mean—I suppose you at least realize what you've done. And I guess it couldn't have been easy to be around me with all that guilt you seem to have…"

Victor was silent, but looked at him evenly.

"I—Victor you—" He huffed angrily at his lack of words and then spoke in a fast garble of barely pieced together thoughts. "I don't blame you for my dad—I mean. You couldn't have done anything. And—it was nice of you to look for me. But you're so—why wouldn't you? Ugh! You're such a moron!" He winced at the choppy sentences and then slumped his shoulders. Victor was quiet, still standing a good way away from him.

A small smile turned the corner of Victor's lip up just a hint.

"Victor…I'm not—don't take this the wrong way or anything, but I think I need to be alone."

The Alpha nodded immediately and backed away. "Of course—Yurio, take your time. I'll call on you in a day or two?" He asked, gently.

Yuri nodded, keeping the fresh tears from falling as they began to form again. He couldn't decipher the feelings he had, and he really wanted to have some time to himself to work them out. He was glad that Victor wasn't taking his needing space as a bad sign—a lot of people would see his wanting to be alone as a sign of anger or disappointment.

Victor hesitated on the spot, clearly not sure if he should embrace Yuri or not before leaving. And Yuri honestly couldn't give an answer to his feelings either way. He didn't blame Victor, as the Alpha clearly did, but this was a lot of information to take in.

Victor decided on an embrace and moved forward quickly, wrapping strong arms around Yuri's shoulders and pulling him into a sturdy hug. Fresh tears pooled in his eyes and Yuri trembled softly at the comfort he felt from being held by the Alpha.

Victor's body weight was slowly returning to normal, and though it was hard to tell with his eyes, Yuri was definitely aware by the strength in the arms that were holding him.

The hug wasn't lingering or too long, and when Victor pulled out of it he held Yuri by the shoulders, squeezing gently.

"Yuri, you take as much time as you need, like I said. And if you change your mind about—well about letting me Court you, I'll understand."

Yuri wanted to punch Victor again. Pridurok. Instead of giving in to his violent desire and punching one of the wealthiest Alpha's in the country, he grabbed Victor's jacket and pulled him close smashing their lips together brutally.

He heard the gasp that came from the Alpha, but almost immediately after, he felt Victor's shoulders sag and the strong arms move to his waist, pulling him in so gently that he felt his heart flutter.

Victor's lips were warm and soft, barely moving as they gently pressed against his own. The Alpha scent burst forward at the moment of impact and Yuri could feel his knees begin to wobble with the desire to present.

He broke the kiss suddenly, unable to let it fully develop. He just needed—some time.

"I—I'll see you in a few days." He said hurriedly and he released Victor's jacket and dashed away as fast as he could toward the main building.

/

Yuri felt like his mind was intentionally making him confused. He went over and over the conversation, let himself really understand what had happened and tried to fish out his true feelings, but as soon as he'd think he felt a specific way, suddenly his mind would conjure something that made him feel the opposite.

It wasn't Victor's fault, what happened with his father—so he was okay, he didn't have bad feelings toward the Alpha. But then he could have told him. Why refuse him while he was presenting and then just let him leave to come here, knowing how shitty it was? So the anger would surface.

Back and forth back and forth his mind would jump and he groaned at the headache that was now constantly tingling at his temples.

"Yuri, why don't you just go talk to him?" Mila said a little annoyed.

"Because I don't know what to tell him!" he said angrily. "I can't tell if I'm mad or not, if I want to continue Courting or not, I'm just—so confused!"

Mila made a face and put her notebook down, sitting up on her bed and looking at him evenly. "You're telling me, that the fact that he was in the car when your father died, changes how you feel about him?"

"Of course not! I'm mad because he basically ruined both Yuuri and my lives because he didn't want to inconvenience himself."

"Alright so you're mad at him for being a dick. Does that change your feelings?"

Yuri was quiet and he bit his lip as he shook his head.

"Okay, so there ya go." She said with a smile.

"But that still leaves me confused on what I want!"

Mila rolled her eyes and stood up from her bed. "I'm going down to the Viewing room. You're too complicated right now." She left, and Yuri groaned in aggravation.

Normally he'd want to go skate, but he was too nervous about running into Victor now that the Alpha knew where he liked to go to be alone. And he couldn't go to Viewings because he had seen JJ there almost every night the past week.

Yuri huffed, flipping over on his bed and shoving his face into his pillow. Feelings sucked.

/

Nearly a week had passed since Yuri told Victor that he needed some time to think. And he was starting to get a little antsy. Victor had said he'd call on him in a couple of days—not a week or two—not a few days. A couple. As in two.

After the fourth day of no contact, Yuri stopped worrying about working out his feelings and started hyper focusing on why Victor was giving him so much time. He started revisiting their conversation, wondering if he'd said or done something to give the Alpha the idea that he needed a week without contact.

He didn't think so. After all, he'd kissed him! Then the idea that perhaps kissing him was the wrong move started to manifest. Maybe kissing him after such a touchy subject made Victor think he was unstable?

Then his old feelings of Victor not really liking him decided to come back full blown. Sure, they were actually getting along alright. And yeah, they had a few things in common and enjoyed each other's company. But maybe it was all platonic to Victor. Or an act? The Alpha had been very transparent about the fact that he was getting to know Yuri better for Yuuri's sake. And maybe the kiss made him uncomfortable!

"Plisetsky?"

Yuri jumped slightly and forced a smile for the Director, who was making his way across the lawn from the Special Courses building, before remembering that the Beta had kept Victor's true role a secret from him and instead scowled.

"What's the look for?" Otabek asked with a touch of humor. And geeze what a douche. His anger wasn't funny.

"You knew about Victor this whole time."

Otabek's face fell. "Oh—that."

"Yes that." Yuri growled. "You're the Director here. You're supposed to make the Omegas feel comfortable and safe, and you even made a point to make it seem like we were friends."

Otabek squinted slightly. "I don't think I ever went as far as that."

Yuri moved his lips to the side in a 'yeah right' gesture. "You always say hi to me in the halls. Always let me know when we're having pirozhki for dinner. .."

Otabek grinned and shook his head slightly. "I say hi to everyone in the halls, and I only let you know about the pirozhki because you let me know how much you liked it. I wasn't going out of my way or anything."

"Regardless!" Yuri said angrily. "You never thought it'd be a good idea to let me know that the Alpha who was responsible for me being here, now owned the House?"

Otabek sighed gently, keeping his face passive and void of emotion. "You are aware…that Mr. Nikiforov is my boss…"

For some reason, that hadn't quite dawned on the Omega. And just that, made him feel even angrier. How stupid must he have been to first not even realize that Victor owned the House? Like—at first, sure, but when he showed up? It should have been obvious. And now, even after Victor said that he'd hired Otabek, it slipped his mind that perhaps Victor had told Otabek to keep quiet. And the Beta obviously would since Victor was his boss.

"Oh…"

Otabek nodded and then gave his famous not quite there smile. "I did tell him I thought he should let you know up front. If that means anything."

Yuri was just about to respond that, yes that did mean something at least, when a loud angry shout of Otabek's name rang across the lawn. They both turned their heads and Yuri felt his heart sink into his stomach.

JJ marched up to them, and glared directly into Otabek's eyes. Yuri took a step back and the move caught JJ's eye, causing the Alpha to look down at him.

"Maybe you should leave, Kitten." He said looking back at Otabek. "Director Altin and I have a few things to discuss."

Yuri looked between them and opened his mouth to say—well something, he wasn't fully sure what he wanted to say—sorry for leading you on?—when Otabek cut him off.

"Yura, go on. Mr. Leroy seems to need another course in proper etiquette while on House property."

Yuri would have argued—stayed to maybe offer some apologies or whatever, but the look of slight shame that flickered over JJ's face, made him realize that Otabek had this covered. He still had some very real guilt over how he had treated JJ. Even though they had not been officially Courting and there was no obligation on his part to even tell JJ why he stopped showing up to Viewings, he wanted to explain in person.

Even when he realized that JJ wasn't coming to Viewings necessarily to see just him, the Alpha had clearly been interested. And Yuri had been interested too—until Victor.

"I don't mind to—"

"Run along, kitten." JJ said, still looking at Otabek with anger. The soft spoken tone didn't deter from the fact that it had been a command. And Yuri felt himself back away without his full consent.

"You have no right to command the Omega's here, JJ. This is why I don't want you coming here." Otabek said with almost seething anger now evident on his normally passive face.

"Oh is that the reason? Is it? Because it seems the reason you don't want me here is because for some reason I'm the only Alpha in the world who doesn't have the right to an Omega!"

Yuri continued backing away and then turned to hurry down the lawn, the argument still loud enough for him to hear though not enough for him to make out any words.

He sighed as he made it to the Special Courses building. He hadn't really planned to skate at the moment, but now that he was here, he shrugged and went inside. The staff running the skate desk smiled when she saw him and handed him his favorite pair of skates without him even handing her his permission slip.

The slip Otabek had given him several weeks back gave him permission to skate whenever he wanted, as long as no one was using the rink for classes and as long as it wasn't too late. So the staff had become very familiar with him and particularly this woman who seemed to always be on duty when he came in.

"You'll have company today." She said smiling as he took the skates.

He hesitated for a moment and then shrugged. He didn't really care. He just wanted to get on the ice. He thanked her softly and then went to the changing rooms and changed so quickly that he was at the rink before he really knew it.

He sat down on the bench to take his blade guards off when he looked up and saw the company that the staff had spoken about. The skater was elegant, moving easily along the frozen surface and moving his body so beautifully that Yuri didn't even realize his mouth had opened.

Victor.

Yuri was transfixed. Partially by shock of seeing the Alpha and partially by how beautiful his skating was. He glided alone the ice, lifting one leg back in an impressive show of flexibility before spinning up into a jump and landing it perfectly.

Victor didn't even seem to notice he had an audience, and Yuri tried to be as quiet as possible as he watched the Alpha practically dancing like a ballerina on the ice.

His shirt was fitted, long sleeved and grey that complimented his hair. His pants were a comfortable fitted active wear material with a line down the side and, Yuri blushed when he had the thought, fit along the curve of his ass very nicely.

Victor's body was obviously filling out again, and Yuri admired the muscles showing from his arms as he raised them elegantly over his head in a sweeping gesture.

"Yuri?"

Yuri shook his head as he realized he'd been spotted. Victor skated smoothly over to him, panting gently and sweating lightly.

"I—I didn't mean to intrude." Yuri said, looking away from the attractive Alpha as heat rushed to his cheeks.

"Not at all." Victor said kindly. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hoping you'd show up."

Yuri looked up at that and saw the devastatingly handsome face grinning at him. He felt like he had the first time he saw Victor, awestruck, hopelessly attracted.

"You could have asked me to come…" He said standing up and moving onto the ice. Victor moved over and Yuri grabbed his arm to steady himself as he took the guards off and tossed them aside.

"I didn't want to rush you." Victor said as they moved toward the center, Yuri's hand still on his arm.

/

Yuri wasn't aware of the time passing as they skated together. Well—not together. Victor was still giving him space and even offered to leave, but Yuri brushed the idea aside. He didn't mind the company. And he kind of wanted Victor to show him how to do the jump he had witnessed.

It was the closest thing to a practice that Yuri had ever had, and it was so nice to spend the time with Victor after a week of wondering if he'd done something to ruin what they had been building together. It was also nice to just spend time with him and not talk about everything that they'd spoken about. It was like they had paused the issue and just had fun.

After they had realized they'd been skating for two hours, they left. And Yuri began feeling more and more pressure to un-pause their discussion.

It was warm outside, and still early. The birds were chirping, breeze blowing and the scent of the flowers were comforting as they walked along the path that made its way around the main building. Victor was silent, but Yuri noticed he didn't look upset or nervous anymore, and that was always a good sign.

"You should put gardens here like in Salsk." Yuri said finally.

Victor smiled and nodded his head. "The thought has definitely crossed my mind. But Otabek doesn't think it should be our main focus at the moment. We've made so many changes, that he thinks we should let the new clients get used to them before any more major renovations. "

Yuri nodded and immediately felt guilt at the mention of Otabek's name. He had left the Director to deal with JJ and neither of them seemed particularly cheerful to see the other.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Victor said, smiling at him gently.

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about the gardens at Salsk." He lied coolly.

Victor nodded. "I have to admit I'm starting to get a little homesick."

Yuri looked up quickly. "Are you going back?"

He hadn't meant for it to sound nervous or scared, but the look Victor gave him left no doubt that he had done just that.

"No. Not yet."

He took a breath of relief and looked back at the path they were walking. The idea of going back to life without Victor was starting to seem more and more difficult. Which was going directly against his new motto of not letting anyone in, but he couldn't help it. Even with all of the new changes, even with the idea that he could find a new Alpha, he didn't want to go back.

"I will need to leave soon, though."

And now we're back to the nerves.

"Oh…well I guess that makes sense. You've been away for a while and all."

Victor grinned, seeing right through Yuri's uncaring mask. "Not to Salsk. I meant to Japan."

Yuri's eyes widened at anything even remotely close to Yuuri. It had been almost two years since he'd even seen the man, yet he still had such a hold over him. It was disgusting.

"I haven't seen Yuuri in almost a year." Victor said, not making eye contact. "I went to see him a few months after he left, but he asked me to leave after a week." He said moving on.

"Doesn't…I mean…" Yuri blushed at his question. Omegas all went through Heats, but the traditional Heat used for breeding was something unique to mated Omegas only. Once an Alpha claimed you, the Heats would be intense—unbearable without the Alpha.

Victor seemed to understand and nodded with a soft grin. "He does go through Heats. That was why I went to visit. I knew he'd be getting ready to have one. We hadn't really discussed how we'd handle his Heats, so I just made a choice and went to visit." Victor's face fell at the memory and he looked down sadly at his feet.

Yuri was silent out of respect for the Alpha's feelings. Knowing that Yuuri was in Japan suffering through Heats instead of at least letting Victor come by once every four months to ease the pain must have been really tough on the Alpha.

"I'm sure he'll appreciate this visit. It's been so long." Yuri said with an encouraging smile.

Victor smiled back but shrugged. "I don't know. He was pretty clear about his not wanting me around. But I can't help it—if it makes me selfish to want to at least see my Omega once a year then so be it."

Yuri couldn't help the smile that stretched across his lips. It was really nice to hear how much Victor cared for Yuuri.

"I uh—I was wondering, Yuri, would you maybe want to come with me?"

Yuri stopped in his tracks and stared at Victor open mouthed.

"I know there's a lot of shit you're dealing with. And I know that you maybe haven't decided if you even want to be Courted by me let alone joining my pack— and I know that you still have to work through all of the secrets I've been keeping about your father but…"

"Oh shut up, Victor." Yuri spat aggravated, "This has nothing to do with my father or wanting you to Court me. I think I've made it pretty clear that I enjoy your company."

Victor raised an eyebrow at him, clearly torn between letting him continue or letting the Alpha growl for being yelled at. Yuri didn't seem to notice the inner turmoil and continued just as brash as before.

"I just—I'm not sure that I can go." He finished weakly.

Victor cocked his head. "I'm sure I can speak to the owner about letting you go away with a Courting Alpha for a few weeks." He said sarcastically.

Yuri grinned but then shook his head, wiping the grin away. "No, I mean—I don't know if I should go."

"Oh…"

Yuri rolled his eyes at the look of hurt on Victor's face and he kicked at a pebble on the ground.

"Oh don't give me that look, Victor. I don't want you to feel guilty anymore, but we've been here before. Everything seemed to be working out smoothly and then one day…" He made a gesture like something flying away.

"Yes, but that was—"

Yuri cut him off, "Yes I know, truth and guilt and stupidity." He grinned gently before shaking his head. "But Victor, this is my life. I can appreciate that you're sorry and that it was a mistake—a huge mistake—on your part. But I need to be sure. I can't just jump into this pack idea like I did when I was 16. I've grown and I've learned that I need to take care of myself."

Victor nodded slowly, looking away and sighing heavily after a long moment.

"So—that's a no?"

Yuri bit his lip but nodded firmly, his decision made.

"That's a no."


	11. Chapter 11

Victor leaving was fine. Absolutely 100% fine. Yuri was fine. It was good that he didn't go. He needed to take care of himself for once instead of thinking about an Alpha or another Omega. Even if the Alpha and Omega, who were currently invading his every thought, seemed to offer happiness. He couldn't just let his happiness depend on other people.

So Victor leaving was fine.

Two weeks after the Alpha's departure found Yuri in a near constant argument with himself. He wasn't unhappy at the idea of living for himself for a while, maybe taking a few Special Courses and maybe even looking into other Alphas. But despite his desire to find out how he really felt, he couldn't make himself go to Viewings. There was something false about it now.

A few days after Victor left, he had tried to go to a Viewing and his worst fear had come true.

JJ.

The handsome Alpha had smiled at him, but did not come over, and Yuri found that he was grateful for that. He was happy that someone who had clearly been interested in him was giving him space, and even though he was painfully aware of JJ's lingering stares, he was much more comfortable with the Alpha across the room.

The following day when he decided to go again, JJ wasn't as shy.

"Still reading books and keeping to yourself, I see." The Alpha sang in his cheeky voice as he pulled up a chair next to Yuri's.

Yuri smiled, but couldn't help his annoyance from showing through. He didn't hate JJ but seriously, hadn't he made his choice clear?

"Well I was trying to keep to myself."

JJ laughed and shook his head. "Don't tell me you're still upset because I didn't want you to go see some other Alpha right after I'd asked for a Private Viewing."

Yuri glared.

"Come on, kitten, I think my actions were a little excused. It's not exactly a normal practice to have an Omega just get up and go see another Alpha after you ask for a PV."

Yuri rolled his eyes and sighed heavily, looking back down to his book. JJ wasn't wrong, but he honestly didn't care. He hadn't agreed to the Private Viewing after all, and even if he had, that was no excuse to go back to the dark ages and start acting all possessive.

"Well I guess I'll let you get back to your book."

Yuri looked up at that, but didn't stop the Alpha from taking his leave. He watched as JJ walked back to the wall where Alphas typically stood when they were just looking.

He had actually expected some sort of fight—some argument or plea or—something. Maybe JJ was expecting him to come after him or stop him. Well that wasn't going to happen. Yuri glanced around at his fellow Omegas and wondered if maybe he could get one of them to flirt with JJ, just to take the pressure off of him.

Everyone was so …innocent though. Minami and his friends were all sitting on a couch playing video games and although they were all vivacious and spirited, none of them had the attitude that JJ seemed to like about him.

A bunch of girls who Mila typically hung out with were all playing ping-pong and laughing like idiots, but they reeked of desperation and lacked the cool confident wit that JJ seemed to enjoy. He pushed the thought out of his mind a moment later. He'd hate if someone manipulated him like that. So he shrugged it off and just kept reading his book. The JJ situation would have to take care of itself.

After that, he didn't feel like going to Viewings anymore. Not exactly because of JJ, but it just didn't hold any interest for him anymore.

He tried to fill his free time with things he enjoyed, but everything just seemed so pointless. He hated that. The joy he used to get from skating seemed to have evaporated over night. He still made a point to spend at least an hour at the rink each day, because he was definitely going to have to improve on his jumps to show up Victor—but that thought itself would depress him and he'd lose his enthusiasm.

So here he was. Two weeks since Victor left and his life seeming pretty dull and lifeless in general. He sat on his bed, staring up at the ceiling while Mila chose her nicest wrap for her Private Viewing with Sara.

"Why don't you just try to spend time with JJ again? I mean, you never really stopped liking him."

"I never really started liking him." Yuri shot back coldly.

"Well it's not like you're stuck waiting for Victor. You turned him down, so that means you're free to find someone else."

Yuri groaned. He didn't fucking want anyone else! Couldn't she see that? Was it not plain and obvious?

"Maybe I don't want an Alpha." He said closing his eyes. "Maybe I'll just check out of the House and find a job or something."

Mila gasped and stared at him. He could feel her eyes on him, but he didn't open his own. He didn't care. Maybe he would do that. Who knew?

"Yuri, don't even joke about things like that. If you left here without an Alpha, you'd be caught on the streets and sold into sex trafficking or beaten and raped or …worse."

Yuri sighed and opened his eyes finally, looking at his roommate and rolling his eyes. "Shut up, Mila. I'm not going to do that, I'm just saying maybe finding an Alpha isn't my only option."

"Sure…" She said with a grin. "Maybe Director Altin would let you work here. Pay you to be a life coach or something."

Yuri glared at her. He hadn't told her that Victor actually owned the House—it had never really come up. But even with her not knowing that little bit of info, her words were ridiculous and obviously teasing.

"Maybe Sara will realize she'd rather have a beautiful blond Omega instead of some old hag." He shot back angrily.

Mila gasped again, but almost immediately broke into a grin.

"She said she wanted to ask me something tonight. Oh I'm so excited!" she said as she twirled around, holding her wrap and grinning like a fool.

Yuri sighed and then in his most dead pan voice, congratulated her.

"Oh don't be such a sour puss. Just go down to the rink and skate."

Yuri sighed as she waltzed out of their dorm. He'd already considered going to the rink, but now his practices were starting to seem lack luster and he couldn't bear the thought of losing his love of skating.

He decided on grabbing a book and going outside to read it under a tree. Even though his books were becoming harder and harder to lose himself in, it was still a welcome escape when it happened.

The afternoon was warm, breezy and pleasant and his favorite tree was free of other tree dwellers as he settled himself under its branches and flipped the cover open to the first page.

He had just gotten himself into the story when he was shaken out of the book's pages by hushed voices.

"It doesn't make sense! If he's free of another Alpha, of age and clearly interested in finding an Alpha then I should be allowed to Court him."

Yuri was confused for only a moment when he finally recognized JJ's voice. He stood up from his tree and peered around the corner where the front steps of the House came in to view. JJ was standing very close to Otabek, huffing angrily and arms crossed across his chest in a closed off, pissed stance.

"You don't know that he is interested. And I've already told you, he's not available." Otabeks calm, though clearly threatening voice came.

"If he wasn't interested or available then why was he coming to Viewings?" JJ shot back.

Otabek sighed softly. "I've already told you, just because an Omega is allowed to be in Viewings does not mean they are available."

"That's ridiculous! If they're not available then why would you put them in a room with available Omegas? It's not a very sound business plan."

Otabek shook his head. "I can let him know you're interested. And when he's available you can officially start Courting him—but I can't promise you anything."

"This is ridiculous!" JJ said, throwing his arms up angrily.

"Keep your voice down." Otabek shushed instantly. "I don't understand why you're so invested in this particular Omega. Just choose someone else! Someone—"

"Available, yes. I've heard your speech before." JJ rolled his eyes. "I can't help how I feel, Otabek."

Yuri suddenly felt nauseated. He had kind of hoped this was over. Or at the very least hoped Otabek would keep JJ at bay. He had half a mind to walk up to them and start screaming, but thought better of it and just went back inside to his dorm.

/

Luckily Yuri found over the coming weeks that Otabek had made no attempt to speak to him about anything—let along JJ's interest. It actually made him like Otabek even more. The thought that the Director would keep an Alpha's affections to himself, just because he knew the Omega was uncomfortable, just spoke volumes about Otabek's character.

That was probably the only good thing that came with this time. A month had now passed since Victor left, and Yuri's personality was beginning to water itself down.

At first he hadn't known anything was different. He was just kind of 'blah', but when Mila started pointing it out, it became a bit more noticeable.

He was skating less, and so his body was becoming a bit sluggish from lack of exercise, though he did maintain his physique. Since his classes were basically just throw away bird courses he found that his interest was beginning to wander and he was day dreaming a lot more.

There was no need for Viewings, so he kept himself busy by reading a new book every few days and this was making him seem even more standoffish than he had before. He wasn't paying attention to any issues in the House, no opinion on anything, his signature quick wit and snarky comments were a thing of the past and Mila mentioned that people were starting to wonder if he was sick.

He wasn't, of course. He was fine. But he was vaguely aware that at some point he would have taken the sudden interest in his mannerisms very badly and chastised everyone who felt they had a say in how he was supposed to behave. Now all he did was shrug it off and say "I just want to read."

The few Omegas, who hung around with him, slowly stopped even trying. Even Minami, who always got a good laugh out of Yuri's bullying, seemed to have lost interest.

And Yuri honestly couldn't bring himself to care. It was becoming easier for him to lose himself in his books, and since Victor had obviously decided that writing to him would be too much of a hassle, the comforting worlds on the pages of his books were better company then the empty dorm.

"You should take that new cooking class that Director Altin set up." Mila said one afternoon while Yuri lay across his bed, staring down at his book quietly. He shrugged his shoulders at the advice but didn't move other than that.

"I mean, it wouldn't hurt for you to know how to cook. You said you may leave here and get work right?"

Yuri shrugged again. Even those plans of doing something for himself had been lost to the glossy worlds of his books. All he cared about at the moment was how Will was going defeat an entire army with just 20 Skandians and some misfits.

"Yuri…"  
"Hmm?"

"Yuri I'm worried about you, sweetie."

He finished the sentence he was on and then looked up. "Why? I'm fine."

"You're not fine." Mila said, giving him a worried look. "All you do is read. You don't pay attention in class, you don't skate, you hardly eat…"

"I eat plenty. I've not lost weight or anything. If anything I've gained." He said looking back down at his book.

Mila took a breath and then let it out in a huff. Whatever. She could be worried; she'd see in time that he was fine. Nothing wrong with reading books—broadens the mind and all.

He had moved a few more chapters along when there was a knock at his door. He finished his sentence, dog eared the page and then sat up off his bed to answer the door.

"Oh, Director Altin." He said taken aback.

"Yuri." The Director nodded and motioned for Yuri to step out of the dorm into the hall. "I wonder if I may have a minute."

Suddenly Yuri had the overwhelming desire to say no and to shut the door in the Beta's face.

"Sure…what's going on?"

Otabek was silent for a moment, looking him up and down carefully before speaking again. "How have you been?" He said in his soft, calm voice.

Yuri made a confused face but decided to play along just the same. "Okay…fine."

Otabek nodded and then shifted his weight on his feet. "Classes okay?"

Yuri squinted suspiciously but nodded, "Yes. Unless you've heard something I haven't."

Otabek shook his head, still serious. "No no. I've just been noticing how off you've seemed these past few weeks."

Yuri rolled his eyes. "Did that hag send you? I'm fine! There's nothing wrong with reading."

Otabek shook his head. "No there's nothing wrong with it at all, but I worry you may alienate yourself."

Yuri gave him the most sarcastic look he could imagine. "You're worried. That I'm going to alienate myself." He repeated dully. "Well you have my word that I won't."

Otabek sighed, nearly rolling his eyes. "Yuri, why don't you come to the cooking class tonight? Spend some time with other Omegas, learn a new skill."

"What for?"

Otabek shrugged. "For the possibility that you'll have to cook some day. To get out of the dorm. Have a good meal." He listed off easily.

Yuri shrugged again. "I don't think so. I'm fine, Director, honest."

Otabek was silent for a long time, staring at the Omega so intensely that Yuri had to break the eye contact just to keep himself from visibly fidgeting.

"Perhaps you're depressed." Otabek said finally.

Yuri's head snapped to look at him with such indignation that Otabek had the decency to look ashamed of his own words.

"I am not depressed! I have nothing to be depressed about!"

Otabek nodded slowly. "What about Mr. Nikiforov? You were spending a lot of time with him."

Yuri suddenly felt angrier than he had in weeks. "That is none of your business! Even if I were depressed, which I'm not, it wouldn't be about Victor! I turned him down."

"Just because you turned him down, doesn't mean you don't miss him."

"I don't miss him! We weren't that close anyway."

Otabek shrugged. "Seemed like you were."

"If we were so close, he'd have written." Yuri said bitterly.

Otabek broke out into a smile. "Ah! So that's why you're upset."

Yuri's eyes went wide and he tucked his bottom lip in and stared away.

"Yuri, I'm sure he's thought of you. Maybe he's just busy or—"

"I'm not discussing this with you! I'm not depressed, I don't want to cook, and I'm fine!"

/

Yuri…was not fine.

Another month passed and still no word from Victor. It wasn't a big deal, really. It wasn't as if they'd said they would write or Victor promised him anything, but it was just—kind of annoying.

Victor was under no obligation to write to him, call him, or speak to him ever again. And yet…for some reason Yuri had convinced himself that the Alpha cared.

Maybe Yuuri had decided to take him back before Victor told him that he had been working to get Yuri in their pack. Then Victor wouldn't feel the need to ever see Yuri again because Yuuri let him off the hook? Or maybe Yuuri decided he was angry at Yuri for leaving in the first place, and Victor decided to just let it go? Or maybe…

Ugh! This was getting him nowhere. All he could do at this point is try and move on…again.

* * *

Landing in Hasetsu was nothing like Victor thought it would be. He had gone over in his mind the different scenarios he could expect: Yuuri meeting him at the airport and sending him home, Yuuri meeting him at the airport and jumping into his arms, Yuuri's parents meeting him and sending him home or rushing him home…all of these ran through his mind, but he hadn't expected…nothing.

Not one person had come to see him. Even a year ago, when he had come to visit Yuuri a few months after he'd come here, his parents had come to welcome him.

Unlike their son, the Kasuki's seemed to think that Yuuri was making a huge mistake leaving his Alpha, and though they supported their son's choice they had been hoping Victor would convince the Omega to go back home.

But this was—a little bit of a letdown.

It was raining heavily though still quite warm and Victor cursed as he caught a cab to the onsen. And once again he let his mind wander as he pictured what would happen when he arrived. Maybe Yuuri would be there, maybe he'd be taking a nap, maybe he'd be ill from missing Victor so much, maybe he'd throw himself into Victor's arms and sob.

Once again, nope.

The place seemed completely deserted, though he knew he must be wrong. This was a business after all and there was always someone around. Though he couldn't see anyone, he called out.

"Hello? Anyone home?"

Nothing.

So he grabbed his bags and stepped inside a little further. "Hello? Mr. and Mrs. Kasuki? It's Victor…"

Nothing.

He sighed and dropped his bags to the side, letting them fall over. He knew this place very well, having stayed here for almost a month while he Courted Yuuri and then again several times when they'd visited for Holidays. But he still didn't want to just come in without invitation.

He and Yuuri were a bit—rocky at the moment, and he just wasn't sure how everyone would see his coming in.

He took a seat on one of the guest chairs and waited—someone seriously had to be around somewhere. He'd just wait. It wasn't like they didn't know he was coming. He had called and emailed just about everyone in the family, but no matter. He'd wait.

/

Victor's heart nearly stopped as a large weight was thrown onto his chest and stomach and he was suddenly groaning as a slobbery tongue licked all over his face.

"What the…" He struggled as he tried to catch his breath and move the giant friendly obviously dog, off of him.

The dog moved away easily, but panted happily, wagging his tail and licking Victor's hands.

"What on earth…where did you come from?"

The dog barked and Victor found himself laughing as he pet the dog's soft ears.

"Doggie!"

Victor turned around and saw a young child come running after the dog. By the looks of him, he was no more than a year old, still wobbly on his feet and chubby with baby fat as he came bounding in clumsily.

"Doggie!"

The young boy wobbled violently and Victor instinctively reached out to catch the kid and stop him from falling. He grinned.

"Careful little one."

He stood up, scooping the kid up with him and then walking around.

"Hello? Did someone's kid run off?"

He rolled his eyes when there was still no answer. How ridiculous could people be? This poor kid just walking around an onsen. He could fall in and drown, or be burned or run out side and get hit by a truck…people were so careless these days.

"Niki?! OH Thank GOD!"

Victor whipped around and grinned widely when he saw Yuuko.

"Yuuko!"

"Oh Victor! Thank you for catching him! I honestly don't know what—"She suddenly went very pink and then smiled, taking the child and clearing her throat.

"I didn't know you were coming to Japan."

Victor shrugged. "Well I called, and emailed everyone, but I guess no one really knew. So Surprise?"

Yuuko sighed but smiled just the same. "Does Yuuri know you're here?" She asked quietly.

Victor shrugged. "Once again—I called and emailed, but…"

She smiled sadly.

"Is…is he okay? I mean, how's he been?"

"He's been doing better actually. After you left it was like he fell deeper into a pit—if that's even possible. He gained a bunch of weight, stopped coming down for meals and hardly left his room. We were really worried there for a while."

Victor chewed his lip. He hated the idea that his beloved had been so miserable. The whole point of him coming here was to be less miserable, and even though he hated the idea of being a part from him, he'd agreed to it to see him get a little happier.

"But he's okay now?"

She shrugged, shuffling the baby up on her hip. "I don't know if I would say 'okay', but he's definitely not as bad. I think seeing you might help, actually. Even if he's mad, there's no denying that having his Alpha near will be good for him.

He nodded and smiled softly. The idea that his only help would be from a biological stance, was painful, but anything he could do for his Omega, he would.

"Why don't you go on upstairs? He's probably in his room." Yuuko adjusted the kid again and then grabbed the dog by the collar and took them both outside. The young boy waved, grinning widely as he was taken outside to play.

Victor grinned, waved back and then shook his head. His grin turned to a nervous smirk as he thought of going upstairs. The last time he'd done this, Yuuri had practically thrown him out. He wasn't sure he could handle something like that again—though not seeing Yuuri at all was proving to be much more difficult.

Even with spending so much time with Yurio, he could still feel the emptiness that having Yuuri so far away brought. His bonded Omega, his mate, was meant to be with him—always. Not separated by half a world. It was unnatural and he hated it! But he'd do just about anything for Yuuri.

He moved quickly and quietly up the stairs and turned down the hallway leading to Yuuri's room, where he was beginning to pick up on his Mate's scent. He paused, inhaled deeply and let the familiar scent roll over him.

His heart began to race at the thought of seeing his Mate and he couldn't help his smile as he inhaled. The scent wasn't particular—not giving off any emotion, just simply Yuuri. It was probably his favorite scent in the whole world, though even with it washing over him he couldn't help but compare the sticky candy sweet scent of cotton candy and caramel to Yuri's distinct citrus scent.

He shook the comparison out of his mind. There was no reason to think of Yuri at a time like this—not when he was about to see Yuuri again for the first time in so many long months. He steadied his breathing as he approached the door and then gathered his courage and knocked softly.

"Okiniri?" He called out, using his silkiest most comforting voice.

"Vitya?"

His heart skipped a beat. Yuuri's voice was hoarse and hard to hear as if he hadn't used it in a long time. The change in his scent was immediate from his natural aroma to one of…not quite excitement…almost disbelief? Hope? Victor couldn't place it. And oh. The use of his nick name, that was a good sign.

He pushed the door open and stood in the door way, gathering in as much of his Mate as he could.

Yuuri had put on weight, by the looks of it, he'd put on a lot of weight and had just recently began to shed some of the extra pounds. He looked soft and round but glowing like he had been taking care of himself. His hair was shiny and his eyes were bright, though he was hiding them behind the glasses that he only wore when he was much too tired for contacts.

He was in bed, pajamas on and a TV sitting on a dresser directly across from him. But he didn't seem bad—the room seemed lived in, definitely but it wasn't an absolute mess and he didn't smell as if he'd not had a bath recently. Whatever the reason he was in bed at this hour didn't seem to be self loathing or misery.

But honestly, the thoughts flew through his head at a mile a minute because there was Yuuri. His Yuuri, wonderful, sweet, not completely unhappy to see him, Yuuri.

"Vitya…it's really you." The voice was stronger this time, though still quite weak, but this time Victor was able to see the look of relief on his Mate's face.

Consent be damned, he couldn't wait another moment to have Yuuri in his arms. He crossed the room in a heartbeat, sitting on the edge of the bed facing his husband and then wrapping him in a firm hug.

Yuuri's arms came up immediately, his scent rewashing over Victor in a flood of emotions that the Alpha didn't care to pick out at the moment. He was here, Yuuri was here and he was letting him touch him. He was touching him back. He was releasing pleasant scents and he was…crying.

Victor pulled away and Yuuri tightened his grip, keeping Victor close as he sobbed gently.

"Oh Victor..."

A shiver ran through the Alpha, but he didn't press his lover. He just wrapped him back in a hug and let the man cry, his own tears spilling gently down his cheeks in pure joy.

/

Later, sitting up against the headboard with Yuuri cuddled up to him, both shirtless for more skin to skin contact, Victor was finally able to get the Omega to speak in complete sentences.

They had food brought up to them and water and juice, and had enjoyed the meal silently, just touching and holding and kissing each other. He hadn't realized how starved for his Mate he had been. How blissful it was to have him back in his arms. It reminded him of the feeling you get after you have a stomach ache. How the pain had taken over ever sense so much that the simple non existence of pain seemed like heaven. He had just not realized how much constant pain he had been in.

"Why didn't anyone tell me you were coming? I would have cleaned up." Yuuri said, pressing his nose straight to Victor's scent glands and inhaling happily.

Victor smiled, running his hand up and down Yuuri's naked shoulder. "I don't know. Maybe I just kept missing everyone on the phone, and no one checked their email?"

Yuuri snorted and shook his head. "No, they knew you were coming. That's why they're all out."

"Maybe they thought it'd be like last time—that you'd throw me out, and they didn't want to be around for that." He suggested gently, trying not to put malice behind the words. He wasn't angry about it; after all, he wasn't even upset about it anymore. Not after so long and not with his Yuuri wrapped around him so easily.

Yuuri sighed. "Maybe."

It was quiet for a moment, and Victor just reveled in the presence of his Mate. Oh it was so beyond wonderful having him so near, having him close, having him not miserable. He snuggled into his hair and inhaled, smiling at the sweet candy-like aroma. It was so different than Yurio's scent.

Not in a bad way. Not even in a good way. Just…different. He thought back to the way their scents had mingled and he suddenly felt a little uneasy. Not guilty exactly, but uneasy.

He shook the thought aside and wrapped his Mate in a hug once more. "Yuuri I can't begin to explain how happy I am to be here."

Yuuri leaned into the hug, letting himself purr in contentment. "Me too. I can't believe you're actually here." He sighed happily and they fell into comfortable silence once again.

And once again that uneasy feeling crept into Victor's consciousness, he wasn't sure what the feeling actually was, but he wished it'd just go away and let him enjoy this time with Yuuri. There was no telling how long the Omega would let this last. Victor was under no illusion that this meant the Omega forgave him. This was simply the distance between Mates becoming too much for both of them and causing them to need extra physical contact.

"Victor, I need to tell you something."

"Tell me anything, Okiniri."

Yuuri smiled and hugged Victor close, pressing a gentle kiss to his chest before pushing himself up fully to look the Alpha in the face.

"I don't really know how to say this…"

Victor waited for the Omega to think it over before grinning and nudging him. "It's usually best to just spit it out."

Yuri took a deep breath and exhaled loudly.

"Vitya we…" he hesitated and then pushed himself through it. "We have a son."

/

Their son knew exactly three words: Daddy, Doggie, and No. He was almost a year old, had 8 teeth, had just learned to walk a few months prior and was now working on running. He was chubby and darker skinned like Yuuri, with black hair that was more the feel of Victors. His eyes were blue-green with long black lashes and he had Victor's smile.

The delivery had gone just fine, but the pregnancy itself had been difficult. Yuuri had been on bed rest for the better part of 10 months and even after Nikolai was born, the doctor had suggested using synthetic hormones until the Alpha was reached.

Of course, at that time, Yuuri had still been decently furious with Victor, and his own hormones were all out of whack and he had forbid his family from contacting Victor with any details.

Without the real Alpha hormones that would typically help in a difficult pregnancy, Yuuri's recovery had been so very slow, that he'd improved very little. He wasn't in actual pain anymore, though once Victor arrived he too got the feeling that he'd simply gone numb to the pain, but his doctor refused to let him off bed rest.

He was allowed to shower, and soak in the onsen. He could go for short walks and come down stairs to eat with the family, but only if he was feeling up to it. Everything was very carefully monitored.

"I can't believe you didn't call me, Yuuri. You could have been up and out of bed within a week with my hormones. But you chose to stick it out? Just because you were mad?"

Yuuri sighed and shook his head. "Honestly Victor, I can't even explain to you how beyond mad I am…was…ugh I don't even know at this point!"

Victor gave a defeated look and Yuuri nudged him soothingly. "Vitya, I am your Mate. I know that my emotions got the better of me, and I'm not saying I exactly regret coming here, but I know that I can't stay away from you. We're going to just have to work this out."

Victor nodded and then gave a nervous chuckle. "I can't believe I have a son. I actually met him…I held him…"

Yuuri smiled, proud and big.

"And Nikolai…"

"For your father." Yuuri said with a soft smile.

Victor nodded, but didn't speak.

"Victor, I know this—was unexpected. And I know I should have told you—I'm sure you're furious, but I—"

"Yuuri, I'm not furious. I do wish you had told me, and I don't think I'll ever fully understand why you didn't, but I'm not angry. I'm—elated." He finished with a disbelieving grin.

"I'm a father, and we have a son. And he's perfect."

Yuuri practically glowed at the praise. "Oh he's so wonderful, Victor. When he started walking, I actually tried to call you several times. I wanted to spend time with him, and I knew you'd be the only way I could actually begin to heal…but I didn't know how to start."

"Yuuri…you don't have to keep making excuses to get yourself off the hook. There is no hook. I'm not upset, honest."

Yuuri looked pained and then started crying again. Victor pulled him close, and held him tightly.

"Victor…I just feel so—Ugh! I don't know!" He pushed away and wiped his nose. "I'm so happy you're here. And I'm so happy we have a son. But I'm still—I don't know…"

Victor wiped his cheek and smiled. "Yuuri, let's focus on getting you well. We can hammer out the details when we cross that bridge."

Yuuri smiled again and nodded his agreement. "So—did you want to meet him officially?"

/

Yuuri's recovery took a lot longer than anyone would have wanted. The doctor had been so happy to see Victor that she'd practically squeezed him to death when she saw him. But there was more damage than anyone had realized.

Yuuri was absolutely fine, but it was just going to take time for him to heal. He'd been away from his Alpha for so long, that the near instant effects of the Alpha hormone to their Mate were taking a lot longer to work. Yuuri felt better, yes, but he was still so weak.

The doctor said that they'd just need to take things slow. Go for walks together, make sure they were both eating right, (she wasn't exactly happy about Victor's weight), and getting plenty of water and sunshine.

They spent the days walking around Hasetsu, and admiring the ocean, taking walks in gardens and just catching up really. No real talk about feelings or anything, just basic catching up. Victor told Yuuri about how Zakhar had dragged him out of his depression and forced him to get back to work. Yuuri told Victor about how he'd had a similar conversation with his father when he had began to show.

They talked about the pregnancy mostly. Victor was clearly a little upset at having missed it, but Yuuri was more than happy to give him every single detail from start to finish.

By the time a month had gone by, Yuuri's health had improved by leaps and bounds. He wasn't fully up to par just yet, but he was able to stay out of bed for several hours at a time before he'd begin to feel weak again. He was able to lift Nikolai, who they called Niki, and play with him.

And Victor was able to stay close to him, help him if he needed it. It was so reminiscent of their previous life, that Victor almost got lost in it. The familiarity of being okay with each other, the happiness of waking up next to each other and kissing the other awake. The joy of playing with their son, and sharing meals as a family—it was all so wonderful—and yet whenever he'd start to think about it, that uneasy feeling would come back.

Another month and a half had passed and Yuuri's health was almost completely back to normal. He was strong again, able to be out of bed like normal and everything was going just fine, except now he had the worry of losing weight. Victor had insisted he looked wonderful, but Yuuri had stubbornly glared at the Alpha and told him to shut up.

Their lives had taken a complete turnaround, and Victor didn't think he'd ever been so happy in his entire life.

/

He was bouncing Niki on his knee, the young boy giggling like an absolute joy when Yuuri finally brought up the subject he had been waiting to arise.

"So how is the business?"

Victor hesitated and then nodded. "It's good. We had a large reaping of Omegas a few months back, so it's kind of full, but it's good."

Yuuri nodded, "That's good. That Beta seems to be a real help."

Victor smiled. He had no excuse not to tell Yuuri about St. Petersburg. This was the perfect time to do it. He could just come clean right now. Tell him how he'd purchased the House just like he'd always wanted to, only he'd done it for him. He'd spent all that time getting to know Yurio and—he shivered as the uneasy feeling came over him again and he suddenly got it.

The feeling wasn't unease at all—it was incomplete.

His months in St. Petersburg had been for Yuuri. He had never hidden that fact, but somewhere along the way he must have caught feelings for the pretty blonde Omega. With his citrus scent, and interest in business and Omega rights, and skating skills, and newly acquired sassy attitude…that was exactly the feeling, their pack wasn't whole.

"Victor?"

He jumped slightly at his name and then smiled at Yuuri. He had honestly not been sure how to bring up his stay at St. Petersburg. Even though he had been doing it for him, there was always the chance that he'd be upset about it, and he'd not wanted to even take the chance while they were all so happy. And even now, when he had the perfect opportunity to tell him—he was a little nervous about it.

"Sorry, I lost track of my thoughts." He said with a smile.

Bringing up St. Petersburg was going to bring up a lot of negative feelings. Even though he thought he had good news, it just…didn't feel like the right time. Honestly what he needed was for Yuri to show up.

…

Yes! That's what he needed!

"Hey, I need to go check something; will you hold this little terror?" He said rubbing noses with their son as he handed him over to Yuuri.

The look of confusion on Yuuri's face didn't go away when he asked what Victor was doing.

"I need to see about something. I'll be right back."

He had to get Yuri here. That was the only way to do it. If he told Yuuri about their time in St. Petersburg there were just too many ways it could go wrong. Yuuri could suddenly go jealous; he may not believe him and think he was just saying it to get back on good terms. No, the best way was to get Yuri here. And soon.

* * *

"Plisetski?"

Yuri rolled his eyes as he heard the familiar voice of Otabek calling his name. It was like the Director honestly thought he was going to kill himself or harm himself and others or some other bull shit. Seriously he just wanted to read!

"I'm fine, Director." He said, with a groan. Otabek was nice and all and he still somehow managed to keep JJ away from him, so Yuri was grateful, but come on. This was a bit much. Stalking him throughout the day?

"I'm sure you are, but I just received an email from Mr. Nikiforov."

Yuri felt his heart rate speed and then a mix of anger and jealousy rolled over him and he gritted his teeth angrily.

"Well that's just fantastic for you, isn't it?" He said bitterly.

Otabek seemed a bit taken aback, but his face moved into one of his rare almost there smiles before he shook his head.

"It's nice to see your attitude is back. What I meant was, I received an email from Mr. NIkiforov, for you."

Yuri blinked. "For me? Why?"

Otabek made a face and then rolled his eyes. "There are many reasons to choose from, but I'm going to go with 'because he doesn't have your email'."

Yuri's surprised face fell into a look of annoyance and then he followed as Otabek lead him back to his office.

Two months. Two and a half months. Almost three months and absolutely nothing. Then all of a sudden Victor wants to reach out? Why? Maybe he wanted to end things officially—maybe Yuuri took him back without needing him at all.

He took a breath as he sat down in the comfortable spinning chair that was usually Otabeks, as the Beta pulled up the email and then stepped back to give him some privacy.

Yurio,

As I sat down to write this, I looked at the calendar and realized it's been two months since I've left Saint Petersburg, which is a completely unacceptable amount of time to have gone without speaking to you. I wish I had a really good excuse for it, but I'm not going to give one. I've been trying to take responsibility for my actions.

Yuuri is doing fine. I arrived here in somewhat of a surprise, but after everything settled down, we were both able to just enjoy each other's company. It's been so long since I've seen him, and I don't think I even registered the pain until it stopped once I was with him again.

I'm doing fine too, but when I got here Yuuri dropped a huge surprise on me. That's the excuse that I'm refusing to use. So I won't speak about it too much, but wow.

Okay, so you're probably reading all of this wondering why I'm talking about how great Yuuri and I are doing.

The thing is we're not doing great. We're fine, living, but I've had this odd feeling ever since I arrived. The only way to describe it is restless, unease of some sort.

I've been hanging around Yuuri, so beyond happy to be with him, and yet this feeling kept coming up. It wasn't until today, when I had a few moments to really sit and let myself think about you, that I realized what the feeling was.

My pack isn't complete.

That's it. No argument, no if ands or buts about it. It's incomplete without you, Yuri and I cannot believe I'm just now realizing it.

When we were in Saint Petersburg, that same feeling was looming over me, but it was much more noticeable. I was able to recognize it immediately because for so long I've been with Yuuri, so having him away from me was automatically wrong.

But that feeling was so strong and prominent that I wasn't able to see that the feeling was made worse by having you gone too. It wasn't until I was here, with Yuuri and the anxiety of having him away from me was gone, that I realized there was still anxiety. Still something not right.

Yuri, I'm sure you've realized by now, that I am not a big words guy. Yuuri says that there are 5 love languages and that mine is Acts of Service.

The only reason I'm telling you this, is because I need you to realize how much I care about you. Anyone can sit there and tell you that I only did what I did because I wanted Yuuri back and I thought he'd come back if I got you. And that might be true, but hear me out.

I bought St. Petersburg to get closer to you. I fixed it up out of my sense of moral. I redesigned the logo because it felt right and I came to Court you because it was the next step in my plan.

And for some reason, you agreed. Knowing all the time about my plan and my desire to get my Mate back. But as I got to know you, Yuri—things began to change.

You're interested in Omega Rights, you read way more than you probably should, you're rude and have a bad attitude, but it only hides the sweet nature. You smell like citrus and are so beautiful it makes me crazy. You're strong and brave and when I'm with you I have the odd desire to both protect you, and protect myself from you. You make me laugh, and it makes me so happy when I make you laugh.

This is ridiculous. I'm so terrible at saying my feelings. Honestly, I think Yuuri's right about Words not being my 'love language.' I wish I could write you a lovely poem with metaphors and romantic language that make you weep. But I'm not a poet. I'm not a writer. I'm just an Alpha who loves you.

Yuri, please reconsider coming to Japan. Yuuri is doing so very well, but I'm still a bit uneasy about him flying. I can hardly stand knowing that you're over there walking around completely open for another Alpha's invitation and I know that sounds possessive and very Alpha of me, but I can't help it. I am an Alpha and I am possessive of my Omegas.

I'm sure you've read books shorter than this email, so I'm going to wrap things up. Please come to Japan. Please take a chance on me, and please…please think about becoming part of my pack. It will never be right without you.

Love always,

Victor.

Yuri took a breath, staring at the screen for much longer than needed as he read and reread several parts of Victor's words.

There was still so much shit to work through. So much pain and heartbreak and the idea of dealing with any of it made him feel queasy. But maybe…maybe that was okay.

Relationships weren't neat little gifts wrapped in perfect paper with a nice red bow on top. They were work; hard work, messy and painful, but beautiful and wonderful at the same time. It was something that a lot of people found out the hard way—that a relationship wasn't always kissing and laughing and skipping through rose gardens, but it was tears and anger and deciding that all of the bad was outweighed by the good.

And honestly…the way he'd been feeling lately, this empty nothing—was definitely worse than the prospect of working through their issues.

"Yura?"

He jumped slightly at Otabek's voice and then quickly wiped away a tear that had found its way onto his cheek.

"I'm fine."

Otabek smiled and nodded. "I'm sure you are. I got an email too, and—well I have something to tell you as well."

Yuri made a confused face, but remained silent. Otabek shuffled a little and then sighed.

"I wasn't aware of this at first, but I definitely should have put a stop to it once I found out."

Yuri rolled his eyes. He hated when people talked around the subject instead of just saying it. "Found what out?"

"JJ—well he was in Japan before he came here to St. Petersburg." Otabek began.

"Yes I know—he told me."

Otabek nodded and then pushed on. "But he didn't tell you that the reason he came here was because Yuuri asked him to find you."

"I—"Wait, what?! "I don't…"

"That's not even the biggest surprise." Otabek mumbled before pulling a chair and sitting down next to him.

"JJ was in Japan visiting Yuuri to make sure he was doing okay and Yuuri asked him to come here and find you."

Yuri was silent. There were so many holes in this that it may as well have been Swiss cheese.

"Why would JJ be in Japan to check on Yuuri?" He asked suspiciously.

Otabek sat back and took a breath. "Well—JJ is…well he's my Mate."

/

Yuri was up, pacing the room, and shaking his head in disbelief.

"One more time. From the top."

Otabek sighed. "JJ and I are Mates. When you left, Yuuri was really bad off and Victor wasn't able to do both his job and take care of his Omega so he hired an Assistant Director. Me. When Yuuri left for Japan, he asked me to go and see if he was alright, but since Victor was in no state to run the House, I suggested JJ should go instead."

"JJ got there and Yuuri was a mess, but still only worried about you. So to keep him calm and happy, JJ agreed to come to St. Petersburg to see if you were doing alright."

Yuri nodded. "That doesn't explain why he would try to Court me."

Otabek rolled his eyes. "I think that was Yuuri's plan and JJ was just going along with it. Yuuri wasn't exactly in a good mind state when he asked JJ to come here."

Yuri shook his head again. "So if he's your Mate, and Victor came back to Court me…then why has he been trying to Court me still? Wasn't the plan to get me back to Yuuri?"

Otabek looked up, eyes wide with surprise. "He's been trying to Court you?"

"I've over heard you two arguing about how I'm not available and how he doesn't care and whatever." He said waving it aside. "So if the plan was to get me back with Victor, then what? Did he fall for me or something?"

Otabek's lips twitched at the edge and he shook his head. "No…those conversations…that wasn't about you…"

Yuri felt his mouth drop slightly and his confusion grow.

"I know this is a bit crazy. Yuuri asked him to Court you and I guess he thought that if JJ got you that maybe he'd let you be together? Or something…like I said, he wasn't very sane when he got to Japan. He was grieving pretty badly over you and then he'd also just separated himself from his bonded Mate. But JJ didn't really question his plan; he just went along with it because he was tasked with making Yuuri happy. "

"When Victor showed up, JJ was a little upset, but not because he wanted you exactly…he just decided that we needed an Omega in our pack." Otabek smiled and shook his head, rolling his eyes.

"So I agreed. I told him to pick someone, get to know them and that I would get to know them and then when the time was right, we'd explain that we were together and that we wanted them to be part of our pack."

Yuri stood, still shocked and a bit confused, though things were starting to become a little clearer.

"But he fell for someone underage." Otabek huffed angrily. "It wasn't his fault or anything, he just started talking to a random Omega and it just happened to be this one who was underage. And JJ didn't realize it until he told me who it was. Anyway, that's what we've been arguing about. Not you."

"Who was the Omega?"

Otabek looked at him for a moment before shaking his head. "Don't worry about that. Besides, Victor only told me to tell you our role in this whole mess. He didn't tell me to explain our entire lives to you."

"I can't believe this…it's like I'm living in some sort of mad House. Some sort of film or book…spies, secret lovers, Omegas in distress…this is ridiculous."

Otabek nodded, but chuckled gently. "I don't think I've ever thought of it that way…but you're right. It is ridiculous."

/

So there was his choice. Plain and obvious, though still scary and unsure. Go to Japan, be with Victor and Yuuri or stay here and maybe find another Alpha—one with less drama, because seriously this was a lot to deal with.

His whole life since he'd presented had been one big cluster fuck of emotion. First he'd met Yuuri and fallen madly in love with him. Then he'd tried to make Victor fall in love with him and fucked that up real quick. He'd broken Yuuri's heart, moved away and lived in absolute shit for over a year.

Then things started looking up, and it turned out to all be Victor's doing because he wanted to get Yuuri back, but Yuuri had sent in a secret spy who was tasked with Courting him, but in the end it had been no competition at all and he'd easily chosen Victor and now everyone's coming clean and just—ugh! This was insane!

He needed a quiet life. Something easy going and simple. Not this complicated insanity. He thought back to what it was like at Salsk. How easy it had been to fit into their world. Victor working, he and Yuuri studying and lazing about. That had been so nice. Slow moving, and blurry now, but still so nice.

It wouldn't be like that if he went back.

Victor's work was too interesting, he'd probably get up every morning and go with him just to see. And since Yuuri often went with him, he knew he'd be allowed—only he wouldn't want to sit at a desk, ignoring what was going on. He'd want to be there, next to Victor paying attention to it all.

He and Yuuri would probably still laze around, but his studies were over. They'd have tons of time to just walk the gardens or go for picnics or really do whatever they wanted. Their lives would be filled with work and play and honestly it sounded so nice that he wondered why he was even thinking about it.

His choice was obvious. It had always been obvious. He was in love with Yuuri and over the past few months he'd fallen in love with Victor. Stupid, funny, talented, intelligent, handsome, idiotic Victor.

All of the shit, all of the pain and heartbreak and misunderstandings and bad communication and miscommunication—all of it could be worked out, all of that could be fixed. But if he turned this down, if he walked away from this pack—his pack—he'd never be able to move on.

* * *

Yuuri was in the kitchen, fixing up some yogurt and berries as part of his diet, which Victor had to note, was working. Niki was petting the dog, Makkachin, in the floor and giggling when he wagged his tail. Victor wasn't even sure how they'd ended up with the dog, but he figured he didn't care as long as everyone was happy.

He smiled as Yuuri came over to sit down but the Omega stopped dead, spoon halfway to his mouth, eyes blown wide looking over Victor's head.

Victor turned, concerned and confused when suddenly butterflies erupted in his stomach.

"Yurio." He said softly, standing up.

Yuri was dressed in some sort of awful sweat suit, obviously hiding his Omega status. His hair was a mess, bags under his eyes and his luggage consisting of just a small bag, slung over his shoulder.

His eyes switched from Victor to Yuuri but Victor couldn't stand the wait. He'd been waiting for almost two years for his pack to be whole again and now here they were—all of them together; both of his Omegas and his pup. He ran over, scooped up the blonde Omega and kissed him. Firm and proper. And the mewling groan that Yuri released sounded so good that he made it his new mission to try and get that sound out of him whenever he could.

The sound of a bowl sitting down on the wooden table is what made him finally pull away from the smaller Omega. He knew that both of them needed to see each other again, they both needed time—something he could afford to give them.

He hadn't been sure, up to this moment, if Yuuri would be happy or upset to see Yuri. His fears disappeared the moment he caught a whiff of his Mate's scent. Happiness, overwhelming joy. He smiled and he bent down and wrapped his hands around Niki's little waist.

"I'm going to take this one," He said picking up the child, "And we're going to go play in the garden."

His desire to be around both of them was absolutely maddening, but he could wait. He could wait for now.

* * *

Mewling was disgusting and embarrassing and Yuri made it his new mission to never make that sound again.

But all thoughts of that or anything else melted away when Victor broke their contact and mumbled something about playing before dashing off.

There was Yuuri—beautiful, kind, good smelling Yuuri. Standing there, mouth opened in shock and tears obliviously forming in his eyes.

"I don't…"

Yuri took a breath. Oh hearing that voice was music to his ears and he felt himself go hot all over. His scent rolled off of him in waves and he felt himself begin to purr. And god, if mewling was embarrassing—but he didn't care. Not with Yuuri. With Yuuri he could run around naked and be perfectly content…actually…

"Victor asked me…to come." He said softly, taking a step toward the older Omega.

All at once several things happened. First he was nearly knocked over in a crushing hug. Second, his mind went fuzzy with the scent of the older Omega. And third his body went painfully hot.

Yuuri was pressing kisses all over him, crying and sobbing and kissing and Yuri did his best to keep up. Oh god it was so nice to feel Yuuri there, so wonderfully blissful to feel his arms, his body his lips. He could feel the happiness rolling off of him and he reveled in the feel, rubbing his cheek along Yuuri's neck and tugging softly at his shirt.

He wasn't sure when they made it to a couch, but somehow that's where they were when Victor came in.

They were wrapped around each other, tangled happily together drifting in and out of sleep. Honestly Yuri wasn't sure he'd slept at all—really slept since he'd left almost two years ago. Every time he'd wake up, his body screamed 'Yes!' as Yuuri's scent greeted him, and he'd snuggle closer, tugging gently at the older Omega's shirt and both wanting it to come off, but wanting to keep it on for his own sanity.

Victor knelt down pushing Yuri's hair out of his face and waking him up easily. God it was nice to see Victor's face not looking gaunt and stretched. And man did he smell good.

"You two…are going to attract every Alpha in the city with that smell." The Alpha said softly, grinning like an idiot.

Yuuri moaned unhappily when Victor scooped up the younger Omega and pulled them apart, and Yuri wanted to protest too, but he was too overcome with being in his Alpha's arms to make any real protest. Victor kissed him softly and he sighed in contentment.

"Vitya! I was sleeping!" Yuuri said groggily.

Victor grinned and nodded. "Why don't you come sleep with us upstairs, Okiniri?"

Yuuri groaned again in protest and Victor chuckled. Yuri smoothed his cheek along Victor's collar and inhaled the scent happily, feeling his body flush again.

"Just let us sleep here." Yuuri said with a yawn.

"Oh I would," Victor said sarcastically. "But I have a feeling this one is in preheat."


	12. Chapter 12

Pre -Heat was the stuff of nightmares. In all of his classes, all of his studying and research, Yuri had a pretty good idea of what to expect from a technical stand point. Substantial fever throughout the entire body, a drenching sweat, and an unquenchable thirst that doesn't go away, but eventually changes from the want for water to the want for an Alpha to breed you.

And yes, all of that was true, but the reality of actually experiencing Pre-Heat was something completely different than the theory of it.

Yuri's body was on fire. It wasn't enough to strip himself down naked, it wasn't enough to press himself up against a wall to enjoy the cool contact. This fever was internal and absolutely unbearable. His body was sweating like mad; hair drenched and sticking uncomfortable to his skin, any surface he landed on seemed to immediately dampen. It was miserable in every sense of the word.

He lay, panting and uncomfortable on the bed Victor had brought him to, and he whined when he felt the need to shift positions. The sheets stuck to his body and his hair would fall into his eyes, wet and warm with sweat, but the idea of staying still was too much. He had to keep moving, keep letting the air hit his body in different ways to keep from dying.

He groaned as he peeled the sheet from his back and flipped to lie on his stomach and, not for the first time he wondered why standing up would be a bad idea. If he stood, then nothing would be touching him, nothing would be clinging to him and keeping the heat pressed inside.

He made to get up, but was almost immediately shoved back down.

"I know, Yurio, I know it's hot. But you can't stand, you're not strong enough." Yuuri's voice came to his ears soothingly and Yuri felt himself whine in protest to his words.

It was true, however. The first time he tried to stand he fell over and bumped his head on the floor simply because his legs were completely useless at this point.

"I have a cool bath all ready for you." Yuuri said and he felt as the older man's hands pushed his wet hair out of his face. "Come on, I'll help you."

The bath was nice—for about 10 minutes. Then the water lost its coolness, and then it was positively warm. Yuuri drained the tub for him and had him air dry there before helping him back to the bed, which had been changed and looked very inviting if it weren't for the thought of it being so hot.

He whined again when he saw it and Yuuri blew cool breath into his face. He sighed at the feel which didn't last nearly long enough in his opinion.

"I know it's terrible, Yurio. But try to get some rest. Pre-Heat doesn't last too long, I promise."

He flopped onto the bed and groaned unhappily before trying to make himself sleep.

Sleep was not quite the word for it. During his studies, he had read about how Heat and Pre-Heat sleep was different from normal sleep, but it had never been described quite like how it was. He was awake, honestly. Completely aware of his surroundings and things that were going on, but instead of being wide eyed due to the commotion around him, his eyelids stayed shut and his mind focused on the Heat instead.

It consumed his every thought. So hot, so painfully heated and wet and damp and uncomfortable. It was awful and had he been a bit more coherent he would have thought that Omegas certainly were the stronger of the second genders for having to go through such ridiculous measures for something as natural and simple as breeding.

Sure maybe it made sense when everyone was roaming around barely surviving from the ice and cold and nature had to step in and make sure that the species didn't die out. But now they were wiser—people didn't need to be in Heat to have sex, and certainly not to get pregnant. That happened every day! Certainly now, nature could step back and just let them be without forcing an Omega to go through this shit.

He opened his eyes, groaning uncomfortably and was shocked to realize that the day had turned into evening. That was supposed to be sleep? He didn't feel rested, he felt the exact same. Maybe hotter and more annoyed, but definitely not rested.

Yuuri was there immediately with a glass of water and he helped Yuri peel the sheets from his skin and sit up to drink it. Yuri shivered at how absolutely amazing it was. So cold that it was actually more of a slushy than just water, and so welcome that he nearly poured the contents on his head—or he would have if Yuuri hadn't been sitting there holding it.

Once he had finished, he was ordered to 'sleep' again. And so went his routine for the entire evening. Not really sleeping, not really waking up and having some plain water slushy. Then doing it all over again. Honestly the act of Pre-Heat in itself was exhausting. He wished he could sleep. Maybe if he could do that then he could wake up and this would all be over.

At some point during his not quite sleep, he did actually fall asleep. His mind blanked and he was stirred hours later by Yuuri who was once again forcing him to drink. He sat up, rubbed the sleep from his eyes and then yawned loudly before reaching down and directing the straw to his mouth.

"Did your fever break?" Yuuri asked, pressing the damp blonde hair from Yuri's eyes.

Yuri shrugged as he slurped his drink and then nodded slowly. He did feel a little less hot, now that Yuuri mentioned it. In fact, he felt like the drink was a little too cold. Oh God yes! Finally! Sweet sweet relief.

Yuuri smiled at the nod and then took the empty glass away and put it down.

"You're still going to be pretty weak, so just stay put."

Yuri nodded. Honestly he didn't really feel like getting up. He only wanted to sleep. Now that he knew he could, and could actually enjoy the sleep, he craved it. His eyes felt heavy and he yawned as he maneuvered himself down into the bed.

"Yurio, before you sleep, we need to go over something."

His eyes were painfully heavy and he struggled to keep them open even as he forced himself back into a sitting position.

"I'll keep it quick." Yuuri's tone was light hearted and slightly amused, but Yuri didn't mind. He didn't care if Yuuri was laughing or grinning or whatever. At this moment all he cared about was sleep. And somewhere deep in his mind he knew that he was just glad Yuuri was there at all.

"Do you want to spend your Heat with Victor?"

It took him a long moment to fully understand the words, and Yuuri repeated them.

Did he want to spend his Heat with Victor? That was—that was pretty big. Yes he had Courted him, and yes Yuri had flown all the way here accompanied only by Otabek and JJ to see him, but even that had at least some to do with Yuuri, not just Victor. And either way, this was bigger than simply Courting or coming to see someone. This was spending his Heat with someone—an Alpha.

And no, their relationship wasn't perfect. There was still so much to talk about, and discuss. So much to hear and so much to say. But—he loved Victor. And this was the ultimate plan right? Join the pack and then be an Omega to Victor—meaning spending his Heats with him.

He huffed as he thought, trying to ignore rules and plans. This wasn't about that, this was about how he felt. He was comfortable with Victor. He felt safe with him, happy with him. He was definitely attracted to him and yeah—the idea of having an Alpha for the next part did sound nice. He knew that if his text book knowledge of Pre-Heat could be so unexpectedly worse than the real thing, then the Heat part was probably the same way.

"I—"He hesitated for a moment and then shook his head to think again.

"Yuri, I'm so sorry to put this choice on you now. But we never really discussed it before and I'm afraid this is the last point before your consent is no longer valid."

"Does—does he not want—"He said, looking around. Victor was nowhere to be seen. In fact, he couldn't even smell him—and he knew Victor's scent well by now. Well enough that he hadn't even needed help finding the right place when they drove into Hasetsu. Victor's scent practically called to him, and yet—nothing. He was gone; far away going by smell.

And come to think of it, Victor hadn't been anywhere near them during this whole Pre-Heat part either. Yuuri had been here, helping him, keeping him cool and soothing him through the worst part. He knew that Victor was a good Alpha so it was doubtful that he would simply let an Omega deal with the worst on their own. So what did that mean? Maybe he had second thoughts? Maybe he was making excuses to stay away even after all of this. All of this shit they'd gone through and Victor was having doubts?!

"It doesn't matter what he wants. This is about you. Do you want him here with you?"

He felt his anger begin to boil in his stomach and he huffed angrily. "No! Not if he doesn't want me. I don't need him here, I can do it alone." He growled angrily.

Yuuri's face broke into shock at the words. Yuri had almost forgotten that the older Omega had been away from him for nearly two years. A particular two years where his own sass and anger had developed quite nicely. Whatever, that didn't matter. All that mattered was the fact that he had been tricked into coming here. Tricked and told that Victor wanted him and loved him when, in reality, the Alpha didn't even want to spend his Heat with him.

"No, Yuri. Don't be silly." Yuuri's soothing hands were running along his cheek and jaw and Yuri felt himself practically melt into the touch. Oh it was so nice to have Yuuri back with him.

"Victor does want you. He's been driving me up the wall these past 24 hours. But I want to make sure that you want him here. I'm not going to let your Heat make you do anything you don't want to do. So I put up my Heat blockers and stocked the room so that we had some privacy."

Yuri looked at the older man for a moment before opening his mouth. "So—he's…" He looked down at the floor clearly meaning downstairs.

Yuuri nodded and smiled. "Yes. He's here; he's probably right outside the door honestly. I tried to send him to a hotel last night—we had to send Niki there with my parents for your Heat, and I suggested he go too, even if it was just for the night, but he refused. He's been texting nonstop; he's very concerned for you. Bit annoying actually."

Yuri had the decency to look embarrassed by his thoughts. Of course Yuuri had put up scent blockers and kept Victor out of the room. Victor wasn't just Victor—not at this point. Right now he was Alpha. And even with just a Pre-Heat, Alphas could go a little insane.

"But, Yurio. Don't be ashamed if you honestly don't want him to be with you. It is your first Heat and I'm sure he'd understand—"

"No…I…I want him with me." He said softly, not making eye contact.

Yuuri grinned and rubbed his hair gently. "Okay." He said smiling kindly. "I'll go get him and I'll make sure that no one bothers you guys. I'll—"

"No! I want you too. Don't leave." He said, suddenly worried. Yuuri's eyes went wide in shock again and he nodded immediately.

"Are you sure? I completely understand if you'd want just an Alpha. I may not be much help or—"

"I want you too. I don't want you out of my site. Ever." Yuuri smiled, leaning in and pressing a slightly rough kiss to his lips. Yuri reached up weakly, tugging at Yuuri's shirt and humming happily as he inhaled the older man's scent. God he was so glad to have him back.

There was a knock at the door and they both jumped, gasping at the shock and Yuri felt his cheeks go hot with heat again, though he thought perhaps this was just regular blushing.

"Can I come in yet?"

Victor's voice sounded young; worried, uncertain and a bit shaky. The two Omegas looked at each other and grinned.

"Yes, you can come in. But quickly, and lock the door when you come in." Yuuri said sternly.

The opening and closing of the door was done so fast that Yuri had to do a double take. The moment he focused on Victor, however, everything seemed to melt away. This was right. This was good. Except Victor should be over here with him. And definitely a little less dressed.

Before the Alpha could move away from the door, however, Yuuri was up.

"Yurio, go back to sleep. Victor and I will be here when you wake up."

He didn't want to sleep! He wanted Victor! He could smell the arousal building in the Alpha and it positively sang to him. He wanted to move up, present and be claimed by the Alpha. He whined pathetically, and his inner Omega purred at the dark look Victor got; a mixture of lust and concern. Concern for his Omega.

"Yurio. Sleep." Yuuri demanded again. "Victor, control your scent."

Victor looked between the two of them and then screwed up his face in frustration as he leaned down to Yuuri's neck and inhaled deeply. Instantly, his scent changed from aroused to calm and then the scent disappeared altogether. Yuri could definitely still smell the Alpha, but his Scent was gone.

Yuri fought with his most basic instincts. Sleep or sex? If it hadn't been for the fact that sleeping during a Pre-Heat was completely impossible, he would definitely have chosen the latter. As it is—he felt his eyelids grow heavy again and a yawn broke through.

He watched at both Yuuri and Victor walked closer to the bed as he made himself more comfortable. His head had barely touched the pillow when he fell asleep, only hearing a vague conversation about clothes and water.

/

When he woke next, his body was uneasy, tense and stiff. Victor had taken a seat on the floor and at some point Yuuri had decided to follow him because the Omega was curled up comfortably in the Alpha's lap. Yuri smiled at them for a moment before the unease swallowed him whole.

He stood up from the bed and stripped it, rolling the sheets and comforter into a long twisted tail. He arranged them together on the bed in the shape of a circle and then crawled in with a sigh. The bed was abnormally large for the small room, but he didn't really have time to notice as the unease came back.

He crawled off the bed, careful not to mess up the short wall-likeness of the twisted quilts. He walked over to the tiny closet and almost yelped with glee when he opened it and the smell of Victor's clothes hit him.

He yanked every single one of them down from the hangers and threw them into his nest.

Once he arranged them he pulled down some pillows that were shoved to the top of the closet and fluffed them around, patting and smoothing until he was satisfied.

He sat in the middle of his nest, looking around with a grin until Victor made a snore in his sleep. His eyes landed on the soft looking cotton shirt and he knew he had to have it.

He crawled out of his nest slowly and crept over to the sleeping men. He leaned down, holding his breath and staring at the shirt, wanting it desperately.

He had just realized he had no way of getting the shirt off of him without waking the Alpha when Yuuri's hand reached up and took his own.

"Yurio?" He asked groggily. Yuri gulped and smiled weakly.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?" His voice got a bit more urgent and Victor woke up as well, blinking and groaning.

"What's wrong? Who's there? What?" The Alpha looked around for a moment before settling down and grinning sleepily.

"No, nothing's wrong. I'm sorry I woke you." He said softly, standing back up and heading back to bed.

"Yuri…" Victor's commanding Alpha voice was low and loud and stopped him in his tracks. "What's wrong?"

"I uh…" He made to turn back to them and then decided against it, keeping his back to them. "I guess I just wanted…to know if you were done with your shirt?" He finished weakly, his voice trailing off pathetically. He hated that he sounded like a wimpy little mouse, but how exactly do you ask someone you're sort of in love with for their shirt? It was so embarrassing.

He barely had time to have the thought before a warm—and damn good smelling—shirt landed on his head.

He inhaled deeply and pulled it off of his head with a grin. Victor was up and had his arm slung around the Omega's shoulders in a heartbeat, leaning down and pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek.

"I have dealt with Heats before you know? Just ask when you want something."

/

He woke up squirming; his body was on edge, his senses tingling and edged with white hot desire. He let out a moan and pushed himself up so that his ass was in the air with his head shoved down on the pillow.

Victor was there. Immediately, instantly. His hands smoothed over the soft curve of Yuri's ass and he let out a soft growl that sent shivers down Yuri's spine.

Yuri widened his legs, hoping to entice the Alpha, invite him in, beg him to take him without actually saying it. His senses were wild, completely on overload as he felt his body tingling and dripping, his hole open and empty—desperate to be filled.

"Yuuri…" Victor's voice was deeper than Yuri had ever heard it and he whined at the sound of his name, wiggling his hips again as Victor's hand smoothed gently back and forth over his skin.

"Okiniiri…" Victor said a spike to his voice that must have roused Yuuri because now his aroused scent was added to the mix of overload that Yuri was dealing with.

Words were being said, movements were happening and Victor's arousal was growing by the second, though he still wasn't doing anything!

Yuri reached under him and gripped his hard cock, letting out a pathetic gasp at the feel of friction. It wasn't the friction he wanted, it wasn't in his ass, it wasn't Victor or Yuuri doing it, but he was going mad waiting for whatever the hell they were waiting for.

Victor bent over his back in a mounted position. Yuri shoved himself back, hoping that maybe Victor's cock was at the right angle and he could impale himself—no such luck. Instead he felt the soft material of Victor's night shorts. But he wasn't able to think on that disappointing thought very long.

"Yurio," Victor's deep voice cooed, "You're not touching yourself without permission are you?"

His voice sent shivers down his spine again and he let go of himself immediately though he couldn't stop the unhappy chirp from coming out of his throat.

Victor leaned off of him, smoothing his hand down his back and down the curve of his ass again.

"Good boy." He hummed deeply. Yuri gasped as he felt a long digit enter his ass. He was dripping with slick and it slid in easily, but it didn't stop his hole from trying to suck it in. Victor groaned long and low as he added a second finger almost immediately.

"He's so wet." He said excitedly. Yuri gasped, shoving himself back to make him move faster. He needed more, faster, now now now! But a strong hand stilled him.

"I wouldn't try that again, if I were you." Yuuri's voice came. "He doesn't like to be rushed."

Yuri whimpered, wishing he could smack them both. Smack them both and then shove Victor down and just ride him until his Heat was over. God he just wanted a dick up his ass was that too much to ask?

Victor mercifully added a third finger and his pace increased just enough to keep him still but not enough to satisfy him. Was he…was Victor teasing him?

Yuuri chuckled softly and Yuri felt soft hands smooth up his back and the bed dipped close to his head. He opened his eyes and there he was. Beautiful, wonderful Yuuri, grinning like an idiot.

"You like that, Yurio? Do you like our Alpha's fingers?"

He was torn. Yes he liked it! He loved it! Victor's fingers were long and thin, scissoring in and out like a fucking master. But NO! He hated this! It was torture, absolute torture!

Another finger added and finally he felt some push back from his body. His hole stretched slowly over the fingers. Victor slowed down, easing in and out of him purposefully, stretching and opening his body slowly. Yuri wanted to shout at him. It didn't hurt! He was in Heat! Nothing would hurt—well—almost nothing. His body was releasing high amounts of hormones designed to keep his body from too much pain during Heat. He could take it!

Yuuri leaned in just as he made a choice to open his mouth to yell at Victor to get a fucking move on. His mood immediately changed from frustration to deep desire—and frustration. Yuuri's lips were soft and warm and he smelled so good and he could feel Victor's hands working him open easily. His heart was pounding, tongue being gently massaged by Yuuri's, hole opening slowly and leaking so much slick, that Victor's motions made a squelching noise. Victor's fingers folded in and then Yuri felt as the Alpha added his thumb to the mix.

The cone made by Victor's fingers was big and wonderful and going all the way up to the knuckles before pulling back, twisting and turning, moving slowly and carefully until Yuri couldn't take it anymore. He shoved himself back as Victor shoved in and he felt as his hole stretched wide and then closed over Victor's wrist.

Yuri howled as his vision blurred and he came hard as Victor's hand stilled inside of him.

Yuuri was petting his hair, pressing kisses to his lips and cheek. He was panting from the orgasm, his body still rippling with the effects even as he felt the burning desire start up again. He clenched his hole around Victor's wrist and the Alpha growled, causing him to still.

"Easy, lyublyu." He said softly as he twisted inside of him. His hand moved back to the knuckles again and then back in, back and forth again until he was able to pull his hand out. Yuri grumbled at the feel, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as he felt a gush of slick follow the hand.

"Shit…Yuuri's not even this wet." He said with a soft chuckle. He eased his hand back inside, pushing through until he was in to his wrist again. His fingers maneuvered gently, prodding and poking around, rubbing up against his prostate consistently until Yuri felt himself cum again, a soft sob spilling from him as he did.

"There's a good boy." Victor said again as he withdrew his hand fully.

Empty was the only word to describe how he felt. Empty and desperately wanting Victor's cock. Why the moron would start with a fist and then move to his cock, Yuri had no idea, but God he wanted that cock. He wanted it badly.

"Please…" He rasped, spreading his legs and wiggling.

Yuuri pressed a harsh kiss to his lips, tugging his hair gently and then reaching below him and stroking his dick loosely. It was maddeningly unhelpful and he whined as he tried to buck into Yuuri's loose grip.

"You've cum twice, Yurio…are you sure you don't need a break?" He sing-songed softly.

Yuri shook his head, trying to get more—more something, more anything!

Then Victor was back behind him, the scent of arousal deepening and causing more slick to run down his thighs.

"Okay, pet," Yuri said stroking him softly and pressing another kiss to his lips. "I need you to breath, can you do that?"

What? Of course he could! What the hell was Yuuri going on about, it was just—

The blunt tip of Victor's cock touched the pucker of his hole and his eyes blew wide and his breath hitched. He wasn't pushing it, just touching him, but just that was enough to tell him why Victor had felt the need to start with his fist.

There was no way! No way on earth that Victor could be this thick. Surely he was imaging it.

"Breathe." Yuuri said again, and Yuri nodded, breathing more on the border of hyperventilating.

"Calm down, Lyubov." Victor said gently, his deep voice was soothing and commanding and Yuri felt himself calm almost instantly. "I won't hurt you."

And he believed him.

Victor let his insanely, unnaturally huge cock play at the pucker of his hole. Dipping in and out just barely and causing that itching, empty, teasing feeling to course through his body. Slick was pouring out of him, it seemed, and Victor was dipping his fingers in every now and then and slicking his cock up.

Once he deemed himself ready, he reached up and gripped Yuri's shoulder.

"Don't move." He breathed and then Yuri felt as the tip pushed inside. Victor moved steadily in, not bobbing in and out, but pushing right through slow and easy.

The fisting had really opened him up nicely and the push in was bliss. Yuri shivered and came.

Simple. Natural. With his Alpha's cock shoved up his ass, throbbing heartily inside of him.

Yuuri moved from him and leaned up. He heard as the two kissed and Yuuri urged Victor to 'hold on', 'give it a second'.

He didn't know what they were talking about or why, all he knew was Victor's cock was wonderful and amazing and probably his new favorite thing in the whole world.

Just as he realized the burning desire was coming back after his orgasm—meaning Victor hadn't cum inside of him—Victor was moving again.

He…he wasn't all the way in?

Yuri chocked on a gasp as more and more thick Alpha cock filled him up, touching tender, uncharted territory inside of him. He could feel his hole clenching around Victor's base. Sucking him in like a vacuum and holding on tight.

Victor growled loudly and jolted forward suddenly, only moving in a tiny bit more but the movement was enough that Yuri saw stars again, and this time…this time—good lord on high—he felt copious amounts of warm jets of Alpha cum spray and splatter inside of him.

Victor doubled over him as he came—as they came, a snarl tearing through him and causing shivers to go through him; which just urged Victor on more and caused the Alpha to release another few strings of cum inside of him.

"Victor…" Yuri rasped softly. The young Omega groaned as he felt the beginnings of the Alpha pulling out before everything went black.

/

Victor caught Yuri as the Omega fell forward limply.

"Wha—"

"He's just passed out, he's okay." Yuuri said reassuringly. Victor sighed and then pulled himself out—much easier when Yuri was unconscious to do so as the boy was insanely tight. With his Heat in full swing, his body was producing copious amounts of slick, and Victor was never more grateful for that stuff than he was when he realized how good it felt to be inside the young Omega.

He and Yuuri maneuvered themselves so that they were sitting up against the headboard with Yuri lying between them.

"You okay?" Yuuri asked grinning.

Victor chuckled and shook his head amazed.

"Honestly, Okiniiri, I never thought anyone would be tight as you."

Yuuri let out a short bark of laughter and leaned over, carefully to kiss the Alpha. Victor hummed happily into the kiss. The past few months with Yuuri had been an absolutely blissful time. Having his Mate back around him was more than he could have hoped for, but having his Mate back, a pup, and Yuri was almost too much for him.

Then Yuri's Heat—that sure as hell came out of nowhere. He had wanted to sit down with both of them, all three together and discuss this. He had wanted to convince both of them of his feelings for Yuri, though he thought perhaps Yuri wouldn't have shown up if he hadn't believed him. He wanted to express his deep apologies for splitting the two of them up, wanted to tell them how wonderful it was to have them together again—their scents together were just as euphoric as it had been the first time he'd smelt it. He wanted to discuss how they would handle this now. How Niki would come in to play. How Yuri would want to spend his time in Salsk, what he should learn to cook for those times when everyone was on a field trip and the house staff had the day off and it was just them in the House. He wanted to discuss—everything.

But this—for someone who wasn't big on words or discussing things, this was heaven. Perfect timing. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Yuri's head and then sighed.

"Do you think I should have prepped him more?"

Yuuri grinned and shook his head. "He was pretty far gone when you started, so I think he might have started seducing you if you had waited much longer."

Victor chuckled and nodded. "Probably wouldn't have taken much either."

Heats were different on each Alpha. Most of them simply got an extra boost of the Arousal Hormone so that they could physically satisfy their Omegas. A few went into a Rut—where they were perfectly able to match their Omega's pace and sometimes even surpass them altogether. Ruts were miserable things when they were alone, but with an Omega it was bliss. A near constant hard on, extra amounts of cum, and so much energy that there were cases of Alphas who could literally keep going in their sleep.

Victor was so in sync with Yuuri that he almost always went into a Rut when he went into Heat. Luckily for him, he hadn't gone into one while they were separated, but now that they were together, his Alpha desire for his Mate to be close had been quenched and he had an Omega in Heat right next to him, he could feel the stirrings of a Rut.

Yuuri reached down and smoothed some hair out of Yuri's face, causing the young Omega to shift slightly toward him.

"I could always leave you two alone. " He suggested softly. "It's his first Heat, and he's going to want an Alpha. I don't know how much help I'll be."

Victor furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head. "I don't want you to leave, Okiniiri. Did he ask you to?"

Yuuri shook his head. "No, he said the same thing. Wants me to stay." Yuuri's voice didn't sound bitter, or angry or sad in any way. He sounded logical, and understanding. But Victor wasn't sure how to deal with that. Because he wanted Yuuri there, and so did Yuri.

"When his Heat winds down a bit, he'll be really happy you're here." He grinned.

Yuuri grinned back and nodded.

"Until then, I guess I can just make sure you're both hydrated and get as much cuddle time in between."

Victor nodded and leaned forward to press his lips softly to his Mates. "Now is an in between."

Yuuri smiled and maneuvered himself over Yuri's body and cuddled into Victor's lap. Victor sighed, pulling Yuri and Yuuri both closer to him.

"I love you." He sighed.

/

Yuri woke up in an absolute frenzy. Victor was a little taken aback when the Omega shot up from his sleeping position and practically shoved Yuuri off of his lap.

The older Omega took it in stride, grinning as got out of the way just in time before being thrown to the floor.

Yuri whimpered as he swung his leg over Victor's lap and rubbed up against Victor's cock. His face was screwed up, clearly frustrated and impatient. It was one of the hottest things Victor had ever seen. He tried to keep himself from growling excitedly.

Yuri was moving fast, trying his best to line his hole up to Victor's tip, and it just wasn't working. The Omega groaned pathetically and when Victor finally managed to reach down to guide himself into the crazed boy, he found Yuuri's hand wrapping around at the same time.

The older Omega grinned at him and Victor groaned when he squeezed gently.

"Easy, Yurio. I've got you." Yuuri said softly.

Yuri whimpered in response and it turned into a low groan of approval as the tip popped inside of him. His small frame leaned forward, closing his eyes in relief. Victor caught him and pulled his chin up for a kiss as his cock slid slowly inside of the boy.

Yuri lasted a lot longer this time, leaning up and using his hands to lever himself off of Victor's chest and fucking himself, slowly at first and then faster and then faster still, until he was cumming over and over again while Victor lay there trying to hold himself together.

When the Alpha did finally fall apart, he held the Omega down by his hips and released so violently that the yelp from Yuri actually had him worried.

They had sex like that a few more times. They did it once while Yuri was on his back, but he clearly didn't like not having any control, so they switched positions again. They did it against the wall, with Yuri bobbing up and down sporadically while Victor pounded into him.

Yuuri forced them into a shower at some point and Victor carried him into the bathroom, struggling to keep his balance and his cock inside the desperate little boy and still walk without falling over. They fucked in the shower, then fucked while they air dried. They fucked while they ate and they fucked slow and steady while Yuuri forced Yuri to drink water—grinding softly until he'd drained it and then rolling their hips together loudly.

By the time his Heat had settled down, Victor had fallen deep into his Rut. Two days after they had started, Yuri was starting to come out of his Heat Haze, wanting to take his time and enjoy it. Wanting more quality orgasms and wanting to watch as Victor came.

After they had spent most of the day rocking together followed by violent fuck followed by more rocking, Yuri seemed much more able to simply cuddle and he took his food and water from Yuuri happily.

"Don't leave." He said softly.

"I'm not going anywhere, Ai" Yuuri said with a smile.

Yuri tugged on the older Omega's shirt until Yuuri was laughing and crawling into the nest, wrapping his arms around the younger boy happily.

/

When Victor woke up from his, apparently much needed, nap both of his Omegas were wrapped around each other and kissing happily. It took them a moment to even realize the Alpha was awake.

"Enjoying yourselves?" Victor asked with a grin.

They both pulled apart with a little gasp and then suddenly Victor had a lap full of Yuri. The Omega was kissing and touching and licking and groaning, moving his hips and grinding on the Alpha—though much…much slower. He was taking his time now, enjoying it. Kissing slowly, groaning into Victor's mouth and then gasping as a particular movement felt good.

Yuuri was there then, pressing kisses to Victor's neck, sucking softly just under his scent gland and making his gasp while Yuri worked on his—other areas.

"Am I being attacked?" He gasped with a small shudder and a moan.

Yuuri spoke with a chuckle. "I'm just following Yurio's lead."

Before Victor could laugh, Yuri was pulling away, eyes wide and excited as he looked to the older Omega.

"Will you show me?"

Victor looked to Yuuri and then back to Yurio with a confused look on his face.

"Show him what?"

Yuuri made a shooing motion with his hands and Yuri climbed off Victor, placing some lingering kisses to his chest and neck and then finally to his lips as he tore himself away. Victor looked back to Yuuri, still confused.

"Show him what?"

Yuuri held up his hands telling Victor to calm down before laying himself between the Alpha's thighs. Yuri moved to the side of the nest and leaned in close. Victor took in a breath. Yuuri hadn't touched him, but having both of his Omegas so close to his cock was filling his member rapidly all on its own.

"Okay so the thing is, Victor's kind of large. Even for an Alpha, so you can't beat yourself up if you can't do it on your first try." Yuuri began. He moved his hand up, gripping the enlarging cock and grinning up to his Alpha.

He gave a few pumps, twisting up at the top and then untwisting on his downward stroke. Victor's heart rate sped up and he focused on his breathing. His Rut was still in full swing though it was definitely winding down, but having his cock played with was still very appreciated.

"Victor likes it when you twist like this." Yuuri said with a grin. He gave a few more pumps and then leaned his head in and licked the underside of the base with the flat of his tongue.

Victor gave a sharp intake of breath and groaned as the tip was engulfed in his Mate's mouth. He felt his body shiver as Yuuri gave particular attention to sucking before pulling off.

"Start with the tip. And mind your teeth." He said angling his cock to the smaller Omega.

Yuri nodded and Victor groaned loudly as the boy opened wide. Then he gasped as Yuri choked, coughing and sputtering as he pulled away.

Yuuri let out a bark of laughter and then shook his head. "I told you to focus on the tip. Why did you try to shove it all the way in?"

Yuri gave a determined look. "I think I can do it. I just need to—"

"Go slowly. You'll be able to work your way up, I promise."

Yuri looked at Victor for confirmation, but Victor was in no state to offer support. Yuri's hand was wrapped around the base firmly from when Yuuri passed it over, but he wasn't moving, and that was just—that was no good. Victor moved his hips impatiently and sighed when Yuri got the hint, moving his smaller hand quickly just as Yuuri had shown him.

"Okay, so just the tip?" He asked, hand still moving. Yuuri nodded and the boy leaned in to try again.

Honestly Victor could probably have cum right then and there. Yuri's Heat scent was still strong and growing stronger with this little lesson. His hand was smaller than Yuuri's but also softer with a lighter touch that was absolute torture and yet so wonderful.

Yuri leaned in again, this time he opened wide, but stopped much shorter in and wrapped his lips just under the head of Victor's cock.

Yuuri nodded encouragingly. "Don't suck like crazy; you're going for foreplay here so gentle. You're just turning him on, not finishing him off."

Victor shot Yuuri a dirty look but the older Omega just grinned.

Yuri obeyed the instruction and Victor felt himself go slack slightly at the feel. His mouth was absolutely searing, his spit flowing all down his cock and his tongue lapping gently.

"Okay so now you're going to give a few pumps while sucking. Remember slow and steady." Yuuri said approvingly.

Yuri did as he was told again and Victor groaned with the need to fuck into that pretty little mouth. Yuri's lips were slick and red, his cheeks hollow from sucking and the little plop sound that came when he pulled off to get a breath was positively erotic.

"Okay, so it's good to breath, but if you pull off like that, make a point to use your tongue. Lick him, tease him."

Victor's spine tingled at the idea, but the young Omega didn't do that. Instead he looked to Yuuri and asked a question, his hand still moving dutifully along the base.

"Is there a way to not pull off?"

Yuuri nodded and then leaned forward, blowing softly onto the tip and causing Victor to shiver. "Always keep him on edge." He said offhandedly. "Okay so you just have to breathe through your nose. It's not nearly as easy, but if he gets a little…overzealous, then you have something to fall back on."

Yuri nodded and then opened up again and Victor hummed in appreciation. Shit that felt good. It was strange how different it was from Yuuri, yet still so amazing.

Yuri kept him on edge for much too long. He kept pulling off to ask questions.

"What if he bucks into my mouth?"

"Either pull off to teach him a lesson or relax your throat."

"What if I accidentally use my teeth?"

"Don't pull away. Just retract them and keep going. Victor likes a little pain."

"What if my jaw starts hurting?"

"Pull off and lick. Play with his balls, dirty talk him."

By the time Victor was sure he was passed breaking point, Yuri had barely sucked for a total of 5 minutes. He was going insane, he had to cum. And he was determined to do it inside of the Omega's mouth.

He tried to keep his breathing regulated, he didn't want to freak him out or anything, but Yuuri was there and he knew all of Victor's signs.

"Alright, keep going, but he's close. He's going to be a good Alpha and not buck up…." Yuuri glared at the Alpha to make his point before moving on. "But he is going to cum, so just be ready."

Yuri was an absolute champ. When Victor finally whined, letting out several jets of hot cum into his mouth, Yuri's eyes fell closed and he sucked it all down like he was dying for it. He sucked Victor dry, pumping and sucking, licking and lapping until the Alpha was softening in his mouth.

When he finally pulled off he looked at Yuuri as he climbed into Victor's lap, curling up happily and yawning softly. "Was…I supposed to…spit it out?" He said between yawns.

Yuuri smiled and shook his head, moving up and snuggling to the side of them. "Not if you don't want to. Some people think it's nasty, so…"

"Mmm not Victor…so good."

Victor's heart was slowing back down, his breaths coming easier and eyes growing heavier with each passing moment.

"You two are going to be the death of me." He said softly.

Yuuri grinned and then snuggled his head into Victor's lap. Yuri had his head tucked into the crook of Victor's neck, already snoozing softly.

"What a good way to go." The older Omega said before drifting off to sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

Yuuri woke up moaning and it took him a moment to realize why. Victor was next to him, kissing his neck softly where it connected to his shoulder and Yuri was—well Yuri was between his legs, putting his lessons to good use.

He reached down and gripped Yuri's hair tightly and groaned. Honestly it was no wonder the kid was so good at this—after practicing on Victor, Yuuri's much smaller cock fit almost perfectly in his mouth and he was finally able to try all of the things he had wanted to.

"Shit…." Yuuri panted softly, trying to keep himself together for longer than a minute.

Yuri grinned as best he could with a mouth full of dick. He truly was enjoying being able to fit it in his mouth.

He sucked gently, letting his mouth fill with spit just so he could swallow around Yuuri. The sounds the older man was making were completely wonderful, and he found himself humming in response.

He let the cock slip from his mouth and then wrapped his hand tightly around the base, pumping slowly, teasingly.

"I couldn't resist." He purred seductively. "You looked too good to pass up."

Yuuri opened his mouth to reply, but the words got stuck in his mouth. He whimpered instead and then Victor's mouth was on his.

Yuri smiled and went back to work; letting his lips slide slowly down the base, pausing only to massage gently here and there. Yuuri gasped loudly, his hips bucking up harshly. But Yuri was pleasantly surprised that he could take it. With Victor's cock, he would have choked for sure, but with Yuuri's it was perfect.

He relaxed his throat; let the head hit the back easily before steadying the older Omega's hips with his hands and going back to work.

He found that he could take his time with Yuuri. Enjoy it. He worked his tongue up and down, side to side. He sucked softly on the tip, dabbing the tip of his tongue into the slit before taking him back inside his mouth again.

Yuuri was groaning, whimpering and swearing under his breath. He leaned into Victor, letting the Alpha kiss the desperation away—though it seemed to be having the opposite effect. With each kiss, his hips became wilder and wilder until Yuri had to stretch his entire body across the legs just to be able to keep his slow pace.

He sighed happily as he took Yuuri back into his mouth. It was slow, easy. Yuuri tasted different than Victor but still just as good, and the noises he was making were music to his ears even as they grew louder and more desperate.

It all ended too fast. Yuuri barely had time to warn the younger Omega before his seed was shooting straight down his throat. Yuri didn't mind, he actually thought he rather liked swallowing, but he had been enjoying teasing the older man.

Yuuri was panting, chest heaving up and down, eyes closed and sweat forming on his forehead. Yuri grinned at the sight and Victor chuckled softly.

"Don't worry, Lyubov. He bounces back pretty fast."

Yuri felt his face split into a grin at the words.

"And what about my Alpha?" He asked seductively. Victor seemed taken aback by the question but pleased none the less.

"What about your Alpha?"

Yuri slid away from the still panting Omega and into Victor's lap. He let his cock rub against the large Alpha's gently, causing the man to gasp in pleasure.

"Does my Alpha bounce back pretty fast?" He said softly, still grinding himself lightly.

Victor's eyes were wide, though he still managed a grin. "Well I'd say he had a pretty quick recovery time—seeing as you were fucking non-stop for two days."

Yuri laughed gently and shook his head. "But you were in a Rut then. You said it was over now so…"

Victor shrugged. "I guess we'll have to find out."

Yuuri groaned loudly and both Victor and Yuri turned to look at him, still laying in the same position, eyes closed tight and a pained expression on his face.

"Do you guys have to turn me on so quickly after cumming? It's not very comfortable!"

Yuri laughed and leaned down, pressing his lips to Yuuri's happily.

"I thought you bounced back fast…"

Yuuri hmphed and shook his head. "Not that fast."

They didn't have to wait long before Yuuri was ready to go again. Yuri and Victor waited patiently and busied themselves with kissing when suddenly Yuri felt warm lips on the back of his neck.

He moaned into Victor's mouth, leaning back instinctively.

"You're so sexy like this, Ai. Riding our Alpha like a little whore." Yuuri purred softly.

Yuri groaned, closing his eyes and enjoying the feel of soft lips kissing along his back blades. Victor's hips gave a little jolt and he moaned louder as he felt the large Alpha cock move against his hole. He pushed himself on it, making his spine tingle at the feel.

"Why don't you be a good boy, Yuri and let Okiniiri open you up for me." Victor practically growled.

Yuri hummed at the idea, whimpering as Yuuri's hands wrapped around his waist and pulled him back so that he was sitting in between Victor's legs. Yuuri helped maneuver his body so that he was in a semi presenting position; his ass sticking up in the air and Victor's large cock bobbing temptingly in front of him.

Yuuri wasted no time with prep; he didn't need to. Yuri's body was still producing slick at an alarming rate and thank God because even though Yuuri wasn't nearly as large as Victor, he wasn't exactly unimpressive.

His cock slid in easily, though slowly, and Yuri felt himself vibrate with every inch. Yuuri barely had himself in all the way when he pulled out, slamming back in almost immediately and setting a quick pace. Yuri howled in pleasure, his hair flew in all directions as Yuuri pounded into him.

Victor growled low and quiet, and Yuuri faltered for a split second before picking himself back up. Yuri opened his eyes at the growl and saw Victor leaning up slightly, trying to get a better look. The position put his cock right there—right there in front of him and, boldly, Yuri reached up and gripped tightly.

Victor's attention moved to him immediately and the Alpha grinned.

"You just gonna hold it or are you gonna slick me up for you?"

Yuri whimpered as Yuuri slowed his pace down a bit so that he wasn't jolting forward anymore. The slow pace was teasing and gentle and Yuri was sure they could do that for hours just enjoying each other.

He swallowed as he looked at Victor's cock and pointed it toward him gently and plopped the head into his mouth. Victor hummed in approval, his eyes never leaving the Omega as Yuri let his tongue dab and poke at the slit.

He pulled it out of his mouth and licked his way down to Victor's balls, taking a moment to play and nip at them before licking his way back up with the flat of his tongue.

He swirled his tongue around the tip, sucked gently and then repeated his licking motion. It was pretty much all he could do with Victor. He had been able to get the Alpha almost halfway into his mouth, but he'd gotten overly excited and ended up in a coughing fit. So this was it for now. Sucking the tip, licking and sucking at the balls.

Though Victor didn't seem to mind. The Alpha had reached down and gripped Yuri's hair tightly, and Yuri moaned loudly over the tip of his cock, causing Victor to groan deeply.

It was a bit of a shock for the Omega actually. Yuuri had gripped his hair too, but Victor's grip was tight and slightly painful. He liked it—no loved it.

Just as he felt himself moan again at the thought, Yuuri turned his hips slightly and pounded into him at just the right angle.

Yuri felt his body slacken at the feel; Victor's cock slid from his mouth, drool following it as Yuuri slammed in again, harder this time, though still slow.

"Don't make him cum, Okiniiri." Victor said sternly. "Not yet."

Victor moved his legs, maneuvering around the now panting Omega. Yuri felt strong hands smooth down his back and he groaned in pleasure as Yuuri hit that spot inside of him again. He heard kisses above him and Yuuri's pace faltered somewhat, though he did keep hitting that sweet spot inside of him.

"You're doing so good, Yurio. Opening up nicely for me on Yuuri's cock." Victor said smoothly.

Yuri felt as more slick formed and he whimpered as the praise.

"Why don't you switch sides, Okiniiri. You go fuck his mouth for me, and I'll take over back here."

Yuri whimpered loudly as the cock slipped out of him, but another—much larger—cock was right there to take its place.

The slow slide of Victor was—god it was so amazing. He was thick and firm and hot and shit! His body was definitely getting used to the large girth, but it was still so crazy to him. Victor had pushed all the way into him just as Yuuri maneuvered in front of him.

Yuri opened immediately and let his eyes roll back in happiness as the weight and feel of Yuuri was back in his body. He could taste his own slick on his dick and he hummed around it and then everything became a little more blurry.

Victor kept his pace even—not slow, but not fast, pumping in and out of him easily. Yuuri didn't move at all, letting Victor's pace force the boy forward and onto his cock while Yuri worked his mouth over him.

It was all fine until Victor's cock hit against that spot at a much rougher and solid rate. Yuri flew forward and backward awkwardly, trying to simultaneously shove his ass against Victor's cock and get away from it. It was overwhelmingly good, causing him to shiver and sob loudly, but at the same time it was almost too much.

Yuuri's cock popped out of his mouth as he awkwardly moved but Victor gripped his hips and steadied him; held him still while he did his magic. A sudden wave of arousal spilled over Yuri and he let out a desperate groan as the smooth strokes were back.

Yuuri gripped the side of Yuri's face and held his cock back to his lips. Yuri obliged eagerly and soon he was groaning and moaning around the cock, trying to keep from drooling all over himself as Victor and Yuuri fucked into him.

He came first. It was a bit of a surprise—he had known he was close, but he hadn't realized he was that close. He came with a choked sob and pulled off of Yuuri's cock while he spasmed around Victor's cock.

"Are you gonna knot him, Vitya?" Yuuri asked lustfully.

Victor grinned and leaned down over the still shivering boy. "You want a knot, Lyubov?"

Yuri shook his head furiously. Victor had been forcing his knot down this whole time, and honestly it was okay because Yuri hadn't even thought about it until this moment. Hell yes he wanted a knot! A big thick one. Plugging him up as the large Alpha cock filled him with pups. It was the only thing in the world he wanted.

Yuuri hummed at the movement, his face screwing up in arousal at the idea of Yuri and Victor being stuck together by the Alpha's large knot. He knew how it'd feel inside the smaller Omega too. Knew the extra burst of pleasure that the knot would give him, knew how full and good he'd feel being knotted while in Heat—god yes!

Victor grinned and began pumping a little faster, the thought of knotting inside Yuri was very appealing and he could hardly hold himself back now that the thought was in his mind. He made a point to angle straight for the boy's prostate again—knowing he could handle the extra stimulation while in Heat.

"Before you get your knot, you're gonna make sure Okiniiri is taken care of, aren't you?" He asked in a sweat, yet panting voice.

Yuri groaned, opening his mouth wide to take Yuuri back in and the older Omega laughed as he let the younger boy take him in.

The warmth of his mouth was bliss after the coolness of the air. His lips were red and slick against his hard flesh and his tongue was doing magic tricks against him. For someone who had only learned how to do this a few hours ago, Yuri was rapidly becoming a master. It gave the older Omega shivers to think of how good he would be by his next Heat—hell even by Yuuri's next Heat.

He came with the thought of spending his next Heat with Yurio and Victor. The past two years had been terrible absolutely awful. He hadn't, in a million years, thought that this would ever be real. That he'd have his cock shoved down Yuri's throat while the boy masterfully sucked and licked him. That he'd be doing that while Victor thoroughly fucked him. That he would get to spend his next Heat in the same position.

He gripped Yuri's hair, steadied him a bit and then shoved forward until his cock was touching the back of the boy's throat. Yuri let out a soft little purr as he took the seed down easily and just as he let Yuuri slip out of him, Victor rammed home hard.

He couldn't help it—he came again. His cock released several jets of cum all over the bed sheets as he was given a large amount of Alpha cum. He felt himself vibrate with pleasure and then the pleasure turned white hot as Victor's knot began to grow.

The stretch was so good that he shivered and came again—dry this time, but still powerful enough to knock the wind out of him.

Victor's knot was large and Yuri was sure that if he hadn't just spent the past hour being fucked and having his Heat arousal spiked, that it would have hurt like hell. But as it was, all he felt was blissful, wonderful pleasure.

He clamped his muscles down around the bulb, moaning at the feel of being stuffed so full that he couldn't even move.

Victor shivered as the boy clamped down. Saying that a knot was sensitive was an understatement. Victor had been known to cum several times in just a few minutes while he was knotting during a Rut, just from having it inside of Yuuri.

As their breathing settled down, the Alpha moved so that he was sitting with Yuri's back against his chest. He kissed his neck gently and the Omega let out a satisfied sigh.

Yuuri had gotten up to clean himself off a bit, and had come back with a wet cloth to wipe them both down as well. Once he had finished he sat right in front of Yuri where the two had decided to drive Victor insane by kissing and nipping at each other.

More than once Yuuri had leaned down and sucked at the sensitive skin around Yuri's scent gland—where a mating mark would go. It had caused the Omega to shiver so violently that Victor had released twice more into him.

God he loved them, though.

He leaned up while they were pecking each other softly and pressed his own lips to the scent gland, kissing gently. Yuri shivered again and Victor moaned against the soft skin.

Everything in him was telling him to bite. Mark. Claim. But they hadn't discussed that yet. They hadn't really had time to discuss anything yet.

He let his teeth run softly over the skin and Yuri let out a low grumble of obscenities.

"You're doing so good, Yuri. Taking my knot so well." Victor sang gently.

Yuri panted, wiggling his ass softly around the large knot and making Victor's eyes roll into the back of his head. He kept his lips pressed to the scent gland though, kissing and licking softly.

"Please…" Yuri's desperate plea came, and Victor felt himself growl possessively. Mine. Mine. Mine. Take!

He bit down hard enough to leave a mark but not break skin and Yuri moaned loudly. "Please…" He said again, breaths coming short and body grinding deliciously.

Victor tried to clear his mind; tried to keep control. No need to claim now. They had so much to talk about still, and plenty of time for claiming later. But the Omega was purring, grinding and begging. His scent was giving off strong hints of desperation and arousal and Victor's mind blurred as his teeth sank deeper and deeper.

The taste of blood filled his mouth and he moaned loudly, the sound turning into a growl as the Omega shivered on top of him. He licked the wound with the flat of his tongue several time, each swipe causing the boy to moan and jolt.

He felt as his knot began to go down and the moment he did he felt the switch inside of him flip.

Mine. Bonded. Take.

Yuuri was grinning like an idiot at them, still pressed to Yuri's front and somewhere inside of him, Victor was glad that the Omega wasn't angry at him for doing that while Yuri was in Heat—but right now, all he could think of was breeding his Omega. HIS Omega.

He pulled himself out of the boy and turned him around so that they were facing each other and he kissed him. Hard and good.

"Mine." He said fiercely and Yuri moaned into his mouth, kissing him back with vigor.

"All yours, Alpha." He panted softly, barely audibly.


	14. Chapter 14

Waking up from a Heat was sort of like waking up with a hangover. Only instead of a head ache, your entire body ached and instead of being dehydrated, you were dehydrated, hungry and felt a little sick.

Yuri groaned as he shifted on the bed. He was sandwiched between two warm bodies and the moment he realized who they were, he couldn't help the grin on his face. Yuuri was directly in front of him, his black hair falling into his face gently as he breathed evenly. And Victor was behind him, his arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him into the firm chest.

He leaned forward, fully preparing to press a kiss to Yuuri's head when the pain in his body happened again. He groaned a little louder this time and Yuuri's eye fluttered open. They locked eyes and Yuuri smiled sleepily at him.

"Good morning." He said through a yawn. Yuri watched as the older Omega stretched and then felt his stomach fill with butterflies as he pressed a soft kiss to his lips before sitting up completely.

Yuri looked up at the older man and grinned. "Good morning." He returned with a smile. He moved to get up, but this time, not just the pain stopped him, but Victor's arms. The Alpha tightened his grip on the Omega's waist and Yuri gasped at the sudden movement and then groaned at the pain it caused.

Yuuri made a face and then reached over and smacked Victor with a harsh crack sound.

"Victor! Let go." He said in mock upset.

The Alpha moaned softly, but did not release his hold. Instead he pulled him closer and Yuri shivered at the feel of soft lips against his bare back.

"Victor…." Yuuri said again, shoving at the Alpha while trying to keep himself from hurting Yuri.

"I'm up!" Victor said immediately, shooting up and taking Yuri with him. The sudden movement caused the Omega to gasp again, and then groan in the most pain he had felt so far. His legs, abs, and ass were throbbing painfully and he closed his eyes and hissed harshly.

"Damnit moron! Watch what you're doing!" He said removing himself from Victor's embrace and landing in Yuuri's lap. He groaned as he maneuvered his body so that he was comfortable and then he sighed in relief as Yuuri began running his fingers through his hair soothingly.

"I guess he doesn't need me to tell you what's what anymore." Yuuri said with a chuckle.

Victor grinned as he watched his two Omegas and he shook his head at the words. "No he doesn't. He's got quite a mouth on him these days."

"Don't talk about me as if I weren't here." He huffed at Victor. He then turned to Yuuri and grinned. "Except you—you can do whatever you want."

Yuuri laughed and then leaned down to press his lips to his again, both of them ignoring Victor's scandalized gasp.

"Oh so we're playing favorites now?" The Alpha said teasingly.

Yuri grinned as he broke away from Yuuri's kiss and then nodded. "We're playing favorites until my ass stops throbbing, yes."

Victor grinned at those words and then leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Yuri's lips. "If memory serves me, that'll be a few days." He said looking at Yuuri. The older Omega nodded and looked a little sorry to admit it.

"Don't worry though, you don't have anything to do so you can rest, and Victor can make it better with his hormones, so it won't be too bad."

Victor reached down and ran his finger gently down Yuri's scent gland which was now red and enflamed from being bitten. Yuri shivered in an odd sort of pleasurable pain at the touch and suddenly he remembered that he'd been mated.

He had such an array of emotions that he wasn't exactly sure how he felt about it at all. One the one hand he was beside himself with joy that Victor wanted him enough to mate with him. Having a kind, handsome, strong and powerful Alpha bonded to him was nothing to blow your nose at.

Though they hadn't discussed it. Not at all. The subject hadn't even come up exactly. He'd barely made himself come to Japan to be with them and now he was bonded and probably pregnant because he was certain he had not taken anything to prevent it.

But he wasn't mad. Not angry or red in anyway. If anything, his negative feelings were fear. Bonding with an Alpha was absolute bliss for an Omega, and the Alpha could gain pleasure out of the bond as well, but damnit if the Omega didn't get the short end of the stick.

Omegas could obviously leave a mated Alpha if they chose, but it was difficult. And once they were apart, it would be nearly impossible for the Omega to think of anything but getting back to their Alpha. It was something that actually sort of interested him and he made a mental note to ask Yuuri all about his time apart from Victor one day.

For an Alpha, it was much easier to leave their mated Omega. He wasn't sure that Victor was a good example of it, because he was so madly in love with his Omega and he wasn't the one who initiated the split. But from what he read, Alphas may have a few days of separation anxiety, but ultimately would be fine.

Then there was the fact that the mating mark was on the Omega forever. If the Alpha chose to leave, then the Omega would never find another Alpha. Well—that's not strictly true, it was possible, but very unlikely that an Alpha would want to bed an Omega who had already been mated. It meant that the Alpha couldn't mate the Omega themselves, and would always have the desire to make the Omega theirs, without a way to do so.

So yeah—there was a lot to think about. A lot to consider before being mated—and Yuri hadn't been able to do that.

He wanted to blame Victor—make the Alpha feel terrible for doing something so serious while he was in a state of complete and utter madness. But he also wasn't sure he quite minded. He wished he'd had time to consider it a little more, but honestly—he'd had two years to consider it. It may not have passed his mind in so many words, but he was sure that this pack was his. Joining a pack was almost as big a decision as being mated—bigger in some cases. And he knew his choice to join them was his choice to be bonded to them as well.

"Are you mad?" Victor's voice was soft and deep, his fingers still ran gently along the bond bite though his eyes were striking directly into Yuri's.

Yuri smiled and shook his head. "No. I'm not mad."

"You'd have every right to be." Victor said still petting him slowly.

Yuri nodded, "I know. And I'll probably bring it up in future to win arguments or get my way, but I'm glad you did it. I wanted you to."

Victor chuckled at his words and shook his head before leaning down and kissing him deeply.

After showering, cleaning the room a bit, throwing the bedding into the wash and taking several aspirin, Yuri found himself at the kitchen table, practically sitting in Yuuri's lap while they ate cereal and talked.

He had pumped himself up for this talk on his flight over. He had it in his mind that it would be a talk to end all talks. Catching Yuuri up on what was going on, seeing if Yuuri was able to forgive Victor for pushing Yuri away, seeing if Victor could forgive Yuuri for not telling him about his pup and so on.

There was so much to discuss and so little hours in the day. Yuri had been sure this was going to be painful and hard and draining. That they would get angry and upset and probably say things they didn't mean.

But it wasn't nearly as bad as he'd thought.

"I just don't understand how he convinced you to let him Court you." Yuuri said again, running his hand soothingly up and down Yuri's back.

The blond shrugged. "Honestly, I'm right there with you."

Victor rolled his eyes and Yuri felt himself grin. "I guess I just—hadn't really gotten over you guys. The idea of getting a second chance was too good to miss…even if I was a little nervous and worried about getting hurt again."

"So he just walked into St. Petersburg, bought the place and Courted you? Seems pretty ridiculous." Yuuri said looking at Victor with a suspicious grin.

"Well, I bought the place first. And I Courted him before he found out—though I thought it was kind of obvious to be honest. I though he knew or at least had a suspicion."

Yuuri looked back at Yuri with a grin. "And you fell for it. He buys you a tiny little Omega House and suddenly you're falling in his lap."

/

"How was I supposed to trust you with our pup when I watched how you treated Yurio?!" Yuuri screamed from his position by the couch.

Victor stood by the fire place, red in the face and hair a mess as he shouted back. "I didn't do anything to Yurio that would mean I would be cruel to my own child!"

"You treated him like he wasn't wanted, made him feel like an outsider, pushed him away—those are things you could easily do to a child!" Yuuri listed the indiscretions off on his fingers.

"So you packed your bags and left me instead of talking to me? A much better example of good parenting; one wrong step and you'll abandon him!"

Yuri's head was flipping back and forth as he watched the two spit insult after accusation at each other. He had his opinions on the subject, but he had a feeling that it wasn't his place to mention them.

"I would never abandon my pup!"

"Well how the hell would I know that? You just up and abandoned your fucking Mated Alpha!"

/

"How can you sit there and tell me that you care about me when you left me to rot in St. Petersburg for two years?!" Yuri said with venom.

"What was I supposed to do? Walk in and take you back?"

"It would have been better than just leaving me there! You could have written at least!"

Yuuri hung his head and sighed. "What good would that have done? All it would do is remind you of happier times and make you more miserable."

"No! It would have reminded me of happier times and given me hope those happy times would come again. All I had in that shit hole was regret and sorrow and you like to blame Victor for it, but you could have written!"

Yuuri hissed and stood from his chair. "Don't turn this on me! You're the one who told me you didn't want me! For all I knew, you chose to go to that pit from Hell INSTEAD of being with me!"

"Oh whatever! You knew I was making that up! How could I be madly in love with you one day, and then suddenly not want you the next?"

"All I know is—you said you didn't want to be with us. With me. You made me feel like an idiot for being so far gone that I'd missed the signs that you were unhappy, and then you were gone. Why would I even try to reach out!?"

"Oh oh, but you thought of me every day? You couldn't get over me, knew I was in a hell hole but never thought to even try to write?"

/

"This is really good." Yuuri said as he took another helping of Chicken and potatoes.

"Thanks." Yuri said with a grin. "I've been taking a cooking class since Victor came here."

"Went all domestic on us." Victor said kissing his cheek as he passed to also get another helping.

"Otabek said you never know when it'll come in handy to know how to cook." Yuri sat down practically in Yuuri's lap again and the older Omega pressed a gentle kiss to his temple.

"Well I would say that we'll never be without a cook, but here we are—without a cook and we were starving. So you really saved the day."

Yuri grinned as he took his last bite. "Wait till the carrot cake is finished."

/

"You are always going to love him more than me! How am I supposed to feel?"

Victor shook his head. "That's just not true! I can't explain it very well, but I love you both differently, but neither feels more powerful than the other." The Alpha spoke calmly in contrast to Yuri's rage.

"You don't love me! You just came for me because you knew it would get Yuuri back!"

"I'm not going to pretend that isn't partly true, but that's just it! It's only partly true. Fair or not, it's not hard for an Alpha to force an Omega to stay with him."

"So why didn't you just do whatever that is and just make him stay? Why go through all of the trouble?!"

"That's my point, Yurio! Because I love you too!"

"Bullshit."

/

By the time the sun was setting, they had finished off the last of the food, including the cake, and were sitting sprawled together on the couch, facing the fire place.

Victor and Yuuri was sitting comfortable together, and Yuri was laying easily across both of their laps, letting Victor smooth his hair back gently while Yuuri played with his fingers.

The day had been exactly what he'd thought. It was painful, teary and absolutely draining. All of them had said things that they'd have to apologize for eventually, they'd all taken some cheap shots, and they'd all been in the line of fire.

But it hadn't all been arguing and screaming and tears. They'd had really good communication between them. It always seemed that any one issue was between two of the three of them. While those two argued, the third served as a referee of sorts, and would mediate between them.

It was refreshing and very helpful and absolutely ridiculous in Yuri's eyes, but still it worked. He'd thought it was dumb that they had to take breaks from the conversation to get snacks and be kind to each other. It made more sense to just fight it out—but now that all was said and done, he was kind of glad it had all worked out this way.

There were some things that just didn't seem to be able to be worked through in one day. Some situations that would leave lasting scars, but they were at least able to get it out in the open—no secret feelings of anger or pain between them—honesty and openness. It was nice.

They had decided they were done for now about an hour ago, and after they'd finished the food and cake, they'd landed on the couch. Yuri was as comfortable as he'd ever been in his entire life, and he could feel himself begin to purr every once in a while.

They talked about what they would do when they got home to Salsk, and spoke about Yuri being able to sit in on 'boring business meetings' with Victor and maybe start a book club. Niki would be the only child at the House, so they spoke about getting him into a day care when he was a bit older, just to get some socialization. They talked about how Zakhar needed a raise and how he'd been absolutely essential to their happiness. And now they sat in comfortable silence, just touching each other and dozing softly.

"I feel like we should go upstairs, but I'm so comfortable. " Victor said while stretching.

Yuuri nodded. "I know, I keep thinking that I'll regret it in the morning, but I don't know if I have the energy to climb those stairs."

Yuri sat up and grinned. "Old men. You're telling me that you're too tired to even make it upstairs?"

Victor chuckled. "I don't see you moving."

Yuri glared at the silver haired man and then jumped up from the couch, holding in his groan of slight pain when he did.

"Alright, I guess you old men can stay here. I'll go upstairs and have the whole bed to myself."

Yuuri yawned and wrapped his arms around Victor's waist and cuddled in close. "Alright, you do that. We'll stay here." Victor nodded his head in agreement.

Yuuri shrugged. "I guess I'll get myself through post-Heat." And with that he headed upstairs to their bed.

Both Yuuri and Victor looked at each other for a short moment before dashing up after him.

Post-Heat was nothing as terrible as pre-Heat or even Heat itself. It was much more tame and easy going, though it was definitely an enjoyable part. The Omega wouldn't be in a Heat Haze, his mind would be awake and aware the whole time without having to deal with the mind bottling desire to have a knot.

He'd actually be able to enjoy the sex. Not that Heat wasn't enjoyable—with the right partner(s) Heat was amazing! But it was still a little difficult to decipher what was good and what was just okay. The Omega was desperate for one thing and one thing only, so quality wasn't as big of an issue as quantity was.

But post-Heat….post-Heat gave the Omega the stamina of Heat, without the mind games. He'd be able to take orgasm after orgasm and still be perfectly fine.

Yuri had barely made it inside the room before both Yuuri and Victor came crashing through the door way. He chuckled as he was scooped into a group hug and kissed passionately by Yuuri.

"I see I won't have to suffer alone…"

Victor chuckled and growled just a little bit in his throat. "Being part of a pack means never suffering alone."

"Especially with what we've been through the past few years—none of our pack will ever suffer alone again." Yuuri finished, pressing gentle kisses up Yuri's neck.

Post-Heat was Yuri's favorite part. Yuuri assured him that Heat would get better as they each learned what the other liked, but since it was his first, and he had nothing to compare it to, he stuck it in his mind that Post-Heat was the best.

Things moved slower between them. Learning what felt good and what didn't, watching Yuuri do things that made Victor crazy and really just enjoying each other.

Yuri had no idea sex could be like this. Enjoyable on more than just a physical level. They laughed, and poked fun at each other and spent the time smiling and giggling.

Victor had watched as Yuuri ate the younger Omega out and made the young boy cum so hard that his orgasm lasted a full 30 seconds.

Yuri was panting, lying on the bed face down in the sheets when it was over and Victor crawled over and grabbed Yuuri by the neck and slammed their lips together. Spending Yuri's Heat together was one thing, but it had been ages since he'd actually fucked the older man. And watching him pull their newest pack member apart with his tongue had only made the desire for him stronger.

Yuuri kissed him back with a fury; teeth crashing together, tongues battling for dominance and stolen breathes in between.

"Okiniiri, you're so amazing." Victor panted between kisses, and Yuuri responded by getting even more worked up. Lots of things had been said during the day; mean things, unforgivable things. But nothing would part him from his Omegas again. Nothing.

Yuri groaned as his breathing settled and he watched his older pack mates kiss desperately. Yuuri was scratching and pulling, wanting more and faster and harder. Victor was calmer, letting the Omega do as he pleased while he simply enjoyed being with him again.

"Please Vitya…." Yuuri's plea was soft and desperate, almost teary.

And Yuri watched as the Alpha maneuvered their bodies so that he was sitting with Yuuri on his lap, grinding away.

Victor gripped his neglected cock and stilled the Omega long enough to get his tip into the tight little hole. Yuuri was not in Heat, he wasn't in post-Heat either, but his arousal was such that he had produced enough slick to make it easier.

Victor's heart pounded as he slipped into his mate and he swore the world stopped when he'd pushed all the way in. Yuri was tighter and a bit more flexible than Yuuri was, but his Okiniiri was familiar and wonderful and so perfect.

Yuri watched as they panted and picked up speed, rocking together familiarly and groaning at the slightest change in position or pace. Yuuri threw his head back at a particularly rough thrust and suddenly the younger Omega couldn't find it in him to sit back and watch.

He crawled over, placed his hand on Victor's shoulder and pushed himself up to grab Yuuri's mouth in a kiss.

The older Omega gasped in surprise, but immediately melted into the sweet kiss. Yuuri's hands were busy, one gripping Victor's hair and the other around the Alpha's back, pulling and pushing in time with their thrusts, but Yuri was able to hold them together.

He snaked his way awkwardly between them, moving both hands to grip the older man's hair, tugging and scratching as Yuuri's orgasm grew closer and closer.

Victor groaned and mumbled obscenities as his pace moved faster and faster, fucking into his Omega while both the boys kissed brutally.

The quickened pace made Yuuri groan and he threw his head back again, breaking the kiss and gasping up at the ceiling.

"Yes! Shit shit shit!" He sang loudly.

Yuri watched for a moment before Victor whined and pulled his attention away. The Omega grinned at the Alpha and leaned down to kiss him gently.

"You're going to make him go insane." He said with a chuckle as he pecked gentle kisses down Victor's jaw and neck.

"You're going to make me go insane." Victor panted back.

Yuri nipped lightly at the skin of Victor's neck before moving back up and capturing his lips in a passion filled kiss. The moment their tongues touched, Yuuri let out a loud wail and shuddered violently. Yuri pulled away to watch and that very moment Victor threw his head back too and the young Omega watched as they both rode out their orgasms together.

In the moments where the two were breathing rapidly, pressing their bodies together and kissing gently, Yuri had the strangest feeling of watching from outside. Like he was there and watching up close, but also somewhere watching the three of them.

It looked good. It felt right. Watching Victor fuck Yuuri and staying out of it for the most part wasn't lonely—he didn't feel left out or sad or unwanted. He kind of liked that they were so mad about each other. He liked that he was part of a pack where the Alpha was nuts about both of them and they were nuts about him and each other.

It was nice.

Their night didn't end there. Honestly Yuri wasn't fully aware of when they fell asleep, but it was many orgasms and may fucks later. He and Yuuri tag teamed Victor, sucking him off, riding him, kissing and biting him. Victor and Yuuri tag teamed him, Victor eating him out while Yuuri jacked him slowly into oblivion. He and Victor tag teamed Yuuri, Victor fucking him slowly while Yuuri put his new sucking skills to use again.

It was all so amazing and easy. And when they awoke the next morning, Yuri could tell that he was good and truly out of Heat.

/

They spent another month at Yuuri's parent's house with Nikolai and the family. If anything, they were just staying to make sure Yuri recovered fully from his Heat, but it was more than that.

They had brought up their issues several times over that week. Much less painful and more productive this time, though.

At the end of it all, there wasn't much anyone could do to fix their past discretions, so they all had to settle on apologies and promises to do better in future. Victor would have to work on his communication. They all agreed that if he'd just been honest in the first place, and told Yuuri who Yurio was—that a lot of pain and heartache could have been avoided.

Yuuri would work on his temper. Though he wasn't much of an exploding bomb, he definitely took his revenge to places below the belt. They all agreed that his leaving and keeping Victor in the dark about Niki was nothing but vengeful and unnecessary, though Yuuri still maintained that he wasn't quite in his right mind, and they all agreed with that too.

Yuri—well Yuri had the least to work on. He had already learned to be more open about his feelings. The years at St. Petersburg had shown him countless people in pain all due to dishonesty, and he had already begun to work on that. They all agreed that if he'd been open with Victor, instead of cornering him with sex, he should have cornered him with honesty—if he'd done that, if he'd been more open with Yuuri then he probably would have never left and a lot of pain could have been spared.

In the end, it seemed they were all to blame in part, and they all had to work together to keep themselves from this sort of catastrophe in future.

"People think that marriage is going to be fun and dances in the rain and rainbows and sunshine. But it's work. You have to work to be in a happy pack, and that's what we're going to do. No secrets, no suffering alone."

Yuri and Yuuri both nodded at Victor's words. For the first time in his life, Yuri felt like things were going to work out for him. He had his pack, they were together and happy and they were going home.

/

As he packed his few things, folding his clothes and putting his toiletries into plastic bags, Yuri found an odd crumpled up piece of paper hidden in the bottom of his bag. He unrolled it, and smoothed it as best he could.

The writing was light and almost completely illegible, the paper had been folded and crumbled so many times that it felt like a soft paper towel more than a piece of notebook paper—but he knew what it was immediately once he opened it.

Writing letters to your family once you were taken to an Omega House was unheard of. Your life was too unpredictable too unstable. You could write to your parents telling them where you were and by the time the letter reached them, you were somewhere else. Most Alpha's didn't let an Omega keep in touch with their family—it was too disloyal. The Omega was part of the Alpha's family now—not the other way around.

If ever there came a time when the Alpha and a member of the Omega's family had issues, the Alpha needed to know where the Omega's loyalties were. It was a common practice, something not really worth mentioning because it was tradition and so ingrained into their society.

And yet…here they were. In Japan. With Yuuri's family.

"What's that?"

Yuri jumped and gasped loudly, almost ripping the paper in two.

"Oh—it's just—it's nothing." He folded it back up and shoved it into his pocket. He smiled at Victor who was looking suspiciously at him now.

"What did we just agree on, Yurio?" The Alpha said firmly.

This was different! This wasn't a lie or anything. It was just a private thing that he'd written that seemed to keep him somewhat sane while he was stuck in St. Petersburg. Keeping things private and being dishonest was not the same thing.

"It's honestly nothing, Victor. It's a letter I wrote a long time ago. I keep it with me sort of as a good luck charm. I thought I'd lost it." He said reaching into his pocket and touching the soft paper again. He smiled and shook his head. "For some reason it always made me feel better while I was in St. Petersburg."

Victor eyed him for a moment before sighing and nodding his head. "I guess as long as it's not upsetting you, you can keep it secret."

Yuri grinned. "It's not upsetting me. Your ridiculous hair is, though."

The Alpha had let his hair grow out a bit since he'd left Salsk and the silver strands were almost always hanging down in front of his eyes now. Yuri reached up and pushed the hair aside and kissed him softly.

Victor sighed into the kiss, leaning down and lifting the Omega so that he had a better reach.

"Come on you two, our plane leaves in 3 hours and I want to get going!" Yuuri interrupted loudly.

/

The flight was long and tiring and the idea of going back to their bed in Salsk had never seemed quite so wonderful before.

As they drove up the drive, the familiar trees, hills and even the bits of garden that he could see all sang to him. Yuri had to fight to keep from tearing up as he stepped out of the car and took in a deep breath. He was home.

His childhood home in Salsk, his pack home at the Omega House—all of it made him vibrate with joy.

He and Yuuri took Niki upstairs to settle him into one of the empty rooms that Zakhar had made into a make shift nursery.

The room was small, but had a large window looking out over the gardens. They had asked Zakhar to decorate it as he saw fit, and the old man had done so quite well. He'd gone with a sky blue and grey theme instead of animals or figures, and everything matched splendidly.

The crib was a three in one which would remain a crib until it needed to be a toddler bed, and then would change into a twin once the toddler bed was no longer needed. It was a light grey wood with blue and grey animals inside and a light blue and grey polka dot baby mattress.

Yuri sat the young child inside it, took off his shoes and his jacket and handed him a bottle while Yuuri fussed around, unpacking his things and finding places for everything to go. It wasn't long before the boy was asleep and Yuri had to practically pull Yuuri out of the room so that they could get something to eat.

"He'll be fine, you have the monitor and Zakhar said that his brother had moved in to help him when Otabek left, so they'll be able to keep an eye on him if we can't." Yuri said as he pulled his lover down the hall.

"But what if he needs me? He's never been here before; he doesn't know where he is!"

"He's in a place that smells of both of his parents and is quiet and comfy. I think he'll be okay. Come on, we've got to eat something."

He managed to get Yuuri downstairs and into the kitchen where Cookie made them all some sandwiches including a few that they were to take upstairs for Victor. The Alpha had been whisked away into seemingly endless business meetings discussing the running of both Houses and he'd not been heard from since they had arrived several hours prior.

"Don't worry, Cookie, we'll take them upstairs and force him to eat as soon as he arrives." Yuuri said with a smile while taking the plate of sandwiches and heading out of the kitchens.

"Well it's good to see you in a better mood." Yuri said with a grin.

Yuuri smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "I guess eating really did make me feel better."

Yuri nodded and took a deep breath. "Not me, I think maybe I'm not used to Russian food anymore—I feel a bit bloated." He said as they came into the Hall and headed up the stairs.

"Well, maybe we should take a walk. Nike's nap will be over soon, we can take him for a stroll through the gardens."

The idea of strolling through the gardens made Yuri smile like an idiot. He'd never given much thought to what his future had in store for him while he was at St. Petersburg House, but now—his future was filled with strolls through gardens, business meetings with Victor and lazy afternoons filled with lemonade and plenty of reading time.

The thought was so wonderful, so amazing that it actually made his stomach burst with butterflies. He was so happy, and things were only going to be happier.

As they climbed the stairs he suddenly felt very dizzy. He reached his hand out and touched Yuuri's shoulder just before collapsing forward into the older Omega.


	15. Chapter 15

Yuri huffed angrily as the doctor left the room and went outside to speak to Victor and Yuuri. It had been the absolute dumbest reason to have a doctor call. He'd passed out from a dizzy spell. That sort of thing happened after long flights! It was called whiplash and it was very common.

Why his two pack mates had decided it was cause enough to call the doctor was beyond him. Deep down, past his anger, embarrassment and still slight dizziness, he knew that they were only looking out for him, and that it was actually kind of sweet. But that didn't stop him from being angry about it just the same.

Now he was going to be stuck in the house. They doctor had assured him that it was just for the rest of the day, but he knew Victor and Yuuri—he knew they would insist on him being careful and taking it easy.

As the door creeked open and Yuuri's face popped into view, Yuri sighed and nodded him in. The older Omega grinned and opened the door further and bounded inside, sitting on the bed next to him and petting his hands softly.

"How are you feeling?" Yuuri asked as Victor sat down beside him.

"I'm fine." Yuri grumbled. "There was no need to call the doctor."

Victor shrugged. "Call me overprotective." The Alpha reached up and pressed long fingers to Yuri's forehead, causing the younger Omega to wince in pain. "The doctor said that'll give you some pain for a few days, but aspirin will take care of it."

Yuri shrugged, still angry about his rotten luck. Of course he'd get dizzy and fall over just as they came home. It was the first time he'd been here in over two years. He wanted to walk in the gardens, look at some of the Special Courses Victor had mentioned, check out the horses and play with Niki by the pond. He did not want to spend the next few days fighting off worried looks and helpful advice.

"I'm fine." He said again.

Yuuri smiled and curled up close to him. He had been placed in the middle of the bed by Victor when he'd passed out, and he'd remained there through out the doctor's visit. The bed was smaller than he'd remembered and now that he was thinking about it, so was the room itself.

His imaginings of this place must have taken on a surreal dream like quality during his time in St. Petersburg, but he had not exaggerated the comfort of the bed. It was soft but firm under his body and the pillows were perfect under his head, keeping his neck up high enough to not be flat but also not too high to create a pain. And with Yuuri next to him, he felt like he was back at the beginning of his journey. Back before anything bad happened when everything had been so simple.

"You're gonna have to stay in bed for the day, but you should be up and moving just fine tomorrow." Yuuri said with a grin.

Yuri sighed again. Sure. Up and moving—like they'd let him do anything.

Victor smiled and squeezed his hand gently. "Don't be sour. I'll have Zakhar bring you some books and Yuuri will stay if you want."

"What about you?" Yuri asked a little too concerned for his liking. Even though he'd had Victor's dick up his ass, he didn't need the Alpha knowing that he like—cared about him or something.

Victor smiled again. "I've still got a lot of things to go over downstairs. Honestly it's looking like you and Yuuri may have to entertain yourselves for a week or so." He said shaking his head slightly.

Yuri huffed again. This was stupid. He wanted to see exactly what it was that Victor did all day. He wanted to hear the issues and workings and figure out plans and schedules and all of it.

Victor must have read his face because the Alpha pressed his lips to his softly and grinned. "I'll save all of the interesting things for when you're feeling up to joining me."

Yuri tried not to smile, but he couldn't exactly manage it. It was more than just being able to help, but the fact that Victor was able to read him so clearly—that was nice.

"I'm afraid today you'll have to settle for books and rest, however." Victor said, standing up.

Yuuri pressed his lips to Yuri's cheeks softly and then curled in closer. "And me. Let's take a nap and when we wake up I'll go get you some books." He said with a yawn.

/

After their nap, which Yuri was a little surprised to realize he had taken to easily, Yuuri went to check on Niki, telling Yuri he'd be back in a bit.

Yuri waited until the older Omega had left to get out of bed. He wasn't trying to be irresponsible or daring, he just wanted a little privacy when going to the restroom. He couldn't stand the idea of Victor or Yuuri waiting on him hand and foot.

When he finished up, he bypassed the bed and went to stand near the window. The day was still young, as it seemed that his little accident had him incapacitated for the entire rest of the day and night that they had arrived.

The sun had already risen and even if he'd not had his phone to tell him the time, he would have known it was noon based on the lack of shadows. The Gardens were in full bloom, though the colors were beginning to change on a few of the trees, announcing the arrival of fall.

He sighed, looking out. He'd really wanted to re-explore.

"Yurio, I found four of the books you mentioned, but I couldn't find the other two. But they're pretty big, so maybe you won't be able to finish them."

Yuuri walked in carrying the books and dumped them on the bed with a grunt. Yuri grinned and walked back over and crawled into the bed, fluffing his pillow before shoving it behind his back.

"Thanks Yuuri. Hopefully I'll only need one, but you never know. I get the feeling that Victor is going to fuss."

Yuuri grinned and shook his head. "He is a fusser, that's true, but he'll listen to the doctor. He said you'd be rested and able to get up tomorrow, so you will."

Yuri shrugged. Nothing had exactly given him the idea that Victor was a fusser, just intuition, but he still had it in his mind. Honestly he had the same idea about Yuuri. That even though he'd have the okay from the doctor to get up and wander around the grounds, both Yuuri and Victor would suggest 'safer' and 'easier' things.

But he found, as the day progressed, that he was wrong.

Yuuri seemed pretty content letting Yuri go and do as he wanted, so long as he didn't go downstairs. He was allowed to go to the bathroom alone, he could walk to the fireplace and sit in the chairs, he could go to the windows and stare out, and he was even allowed to go to the nursery with Yuuri to see Niki.

At lunch, Victor came upstairs to eat with them and the only thing he asked in regards to Yuri's recovery was if he was feeling well enough to eat a sandwich.

He spent the better part of his day reading and staring out the window, but honestly the lack of fuss on the part of Victor and Yuuri really surprised him in a good way. It was nice to be trusted enough to know your own boundaries and he really appreciated that.

/

The next day, the worried, over protecting men that he had expected to see the day before finally surfaced. Well at least for Yuuri it did.

"Are you sure you don't want to rest another day? It won't hurt if you do."

Yuri rolled his eyes as he stood in front of the mirror with Victor, dressing for the day. He had already promised the Omega that he'd have an easy day, just going through the things Victor does and watching the Alpha do his job.

"He'll be fine, Yuuri." Victor said with a grin. The Alpha leaned down and pressed a kiss to his lips, making Yuri tingle all over in a way that he both hated and loved. "Tell him you'll take it easy or he'll be texting us all day."

They both grinned at the now frowning Yuuri who sat on the bed with his arms crossed angrily.

"I'm not going to be texting you at all! I have a lecture at 9, 12 and 3."

Yuri grinned as he turned around to face the older Omega. "Yuuri, I'll be fine. It's just sitting around a desk and looking at paper work, right?" He added, looking to Victor for confirmation.

The Alpha nodded and pulled on his jacket, which Yuri noted was fitting him very well again after he'd lost all of his weight and had now gained it back.

"I can't believe you two are going to go off and have all this fun without me." Yuuri said in mock sadness.

"You hate this sort of thing, Yuuri." Victor said pointedly, straightening his tie in the mirror.

"I hate paper work, but you'll probably be getting a blowjob under your desk while I'm lecturing a bunch of newbie Omegas on etiquette."

Both Yuri and Victor broke out into laughter before both suddenly stopping and looking at each other as if realizing that was actually a possibility.

"That was not a suggestion!"

They all three chuckled.

"Look, between your lectures, you're more than welcome to come and visit us." Victor said reaching over and straightening Yuri's tie.

Yuuri shook his head and stood up, grabbing a piece of toast from the tray and walking toward the door. "I would, but I really—really don't want to." He grinned and took a bite of his toast. "You two enjoy your little sex office. I'll be doing real work."

Victor huffed and shook his head. "Yeah right!"

Yuuri made a face. "Don't forget, we're eating lunch at eleven. Here."

They both nodded and as Yuuri shut the door behind him, Yuri grinned at Victor.

"Don't even think about it, Yurio. We're behind on our memos thanks to our little vacation, so there won't be any time for blowjobs."

Yuri chuckled and leaned up to peck a kiss on Victor's cheek. "There may be a little time."

/

The office was just as large and ornate as he had remembered. Victor's large desk was beautiful and full of decorations, and on further inspection, work equipment.

Victor had pulled up a nice, though not as nice as his own, chair for Yuri to use so that he could sit right next to him while he worked. After all Yuri had asked to actually learn about what Victor did all day. Not just be there with him.

On the desk sat several things, but most obvious were two trays one on either side. On the right, the tray was full and labeled "To read", the left was empty and labeled "Read".

Victor sat down and motioned for Yuri to as well.

"Okay well first, you should know that I split my week into memo days and meeting days." The Alpha began. "Memo days I spend mostly in here, going through the memos from the past two days. I may have a special meeting with someone who couldn't make another time work, but usually it's just going through memos and sending emails and work orders."

Yuri nodded his understanding as the Alpha continued. "Meeting days are typically just one meeting right after another. Each meeting can be completely unique or very similar. Sometimes it's our produce guy complaining about his pay and sometimes it's other Omega House owners discussing treatments and competitive pricing."

Victor motioned toward the "To Read" tray and then began explaining the memos.

"Memos are things that can be fixed without a face to face. Usually dealing with our House personally, but sometimes outside sources too." He picked up the first folder that was in the tray and flipped it open.

"Some of these are just simple papers asking for things or asking questions or just giving me info, others can turn into folders. This one for instance began as a simple request from one of the gardeners, Harris, who wanted to plant some wild flowers on the grounds. The request was denied by the Head Gardener and then sent to me for my signature." He pointed to a line space at the bottom of the paper which remained unsigned.

"Now, sometimes I'll just sign these and agree with the Head whoever, but other times I get curious. This was one of those times, so I sent the memo back with a question as to why the idea to plant wild flowers had come up and the reason it was denied." He flipped a few pages in. "Harris had read that these particular wild flowers would help bee populations and he thought it'd be a perfect area to do some planting. The Head Gardener believed that having more bees would put the House in danger of swarms and injuries to staff and Omegas who were allergic to stings, and that it was a hassle we didn't need to worry with."

Yuri nodded, leaning in and reading some of the typed memos. Victor waited and then flipped the page again.

"I had them do some research and figure out a nice compromise and this last page here," He flipped to the last page, "is the actual agreement."

He sat the folder down in front of him where both he and Yuri could read it. The last page was written by the Head Gardener explaining how the local Bee Keepers had been informed of the possible issues and had been given clearance passes that would allow them easy access to the grounds upon request. It also explained how Harris would be in charge of putting up signs that explained that no Omega or Guest could go past 50 feet beyond the gardens. At 50 feet the wild flowers would be planted and bee populations were expected to be higher.

Victor nodded as he finished reading the page and then signed his name on the line.

"So now, this will be sent back to the Head Gardener and to the local Bee Keepers who will all take the necessary actions to get the flowers planted and the signs up that are needed. And that's about it."

Yuri grinned and nodded. "So are all the folders like that one? Back and forth messages?"

Victor shook his head. "No, some of them are just full of research explaining why something is needed. Like if the Head Gardener had approved the wild flower in the first place, then he would have done research on why we could benefit from it, and how we would need signs and things." Victor bypassed a few sheets of paper in the tray and pulled out the next folder.

"This one is…" he read for a moment and then looked up again, "a request to allow Omega's to keep dogs or cats for mental health reasons. It's the first time it's been on this desk, but it's big because they know I'll need all of the research to go over. The House employs many people who's job it is to approve or deny things. Usually I'll just agree with whatever the Head person says, but you can never be too careful."

He nodded to the bee folder. "Sometimes I just get curious and want more details. So if something's been approved, everyone's just in the habit of attaching all of their information because they don't want to have to go through the trouble of finding it all again later—because I will likely ask."

Yuri nodded and looked to the folder. "So what's the research on giving Omega's therapy pets then?"

They spent the entire morning going through the "To Read" tray. Victor was very open about everything, letting Yuri read everything and asking his opinion on things—to which they both realized they agreed about most everything.

They had both agreed that having therapy animals was a good idea, but that the Omega's would have to go through a special class that would not only show them how to properly take care of the pets, but also assess if they could take care of them. Yuri noted that it may be a good idea to keep all of the Therapy Pet Omega's on the same level. That way there were no issues with allergies or fears of animals or accidents. It was something that Victor wrote in his reply memo to be signed off on once the details were set.

There was a folder discussing the colored wraps that Victor had said he wanted to try out while they were still Courting. He had asked for the cost of ordering several hundred new wraps in all different sizes, and had even asked several Alphas what they thought of it—for reference.

There was a folder discussing the idea of opening a small convenient store among other small businesses on the estate.

"Why would you open a store or a bakery on the estate?" Yuri asked as they read over the proposal.

Victor hummed. "Well, the idea is, the Omega's could work there for a small wage. This would give them real work experience as well as give them some money to their name. We recently found out that a good deal of our Alpha's are actually much more average in wealth. They save up to afford a good Omega but still require the Omega to know how to work in a shop or handle money. Opening a shop or bakery or pet store would give the Omega that head start as well as offering a closer grocery store option to the country dwellers."

"Do you think it'd do well? The Village isn't that far." Yuri said as he flipped through the folder.

"It's about 20 minutes for us, and there are farms past ours that would take longer. Having a place right on the estate would probably do very well indeed." Victor said with a smile.

By the time it was eleven, Yuri was practically buzzing with excitement. Each folder was something different and new but still important. Even the seemingly little things were treated with respect and care, and Victor always seemed to have a level head.

Yuri had bounced into their room and immediately began talking Yuuri's ear off, barely taking a break to eat.

"So we discussed how having separate rooms would be nice but how it wasn't actually a necessity. And I was able to speak from experience because I shared a room in St. Petersburg and it wasn't private by any means, but it wasn't bad. I didn't feel like I was being smothered or anything, and it was kind of nice because anything that I didn't quite understand in Basics I could just go over with my roommate and—"

"YURIO!" Yuri's voice exploded into the room, causing the younger boy to stop mid sentence. "I'm sorry, baby boy, but I just don't care." He said with a sigh.

Yuri seemed a little abashed but he shrugged good naturedly. "Oh…I know. I'm sorry; I just got a little excited I guess."

Victor laughed. "Don't worry, Yurio. I used to do the same thing when Yuuri and I were first mated."

Yuuri nodded. "Yes, and I quickly learned that I had no interest in those sorts of day to day details. It's actually really lucky for me that you like that sort of thing. Now he can talk about it to his hearts content."

Victor grinned and pulled Yuri into his lap. "Exactly. We can talk about it all day and all night without bothering Yuuri at all."

Yuri moved away from the Alpha and grabbed a sandwich. "We can save that for the office. How was your lecture?" He asked Yuuri as he bit into his sandwich.

/

After lunch they spent the better part of the afternoon finishing going through the memos. Victor sped through them much faster than Yuri—who was still catching up on all of the past memos of each folder—so the Alpha would do his part and then lay the folder in a pile next to the tray, where Yuri would open them and read them before putting them in the "Read" tray.

Most of it was completely fascinating to him, and he spent a good deal of time reading the research that went along with each issue. The folders ranged from the flower planting question to the village calling for Salsk to send more Omega's to St. Petersburg to rid them of the Omega reputation.

It was all interesting and all amazing to read about.

Victor finished with the memos long before Yuri had, and the Alpha stood and stretched as he lay the last folder on Yuri's pile.

"Do you want a break? We could go for a quick walk."

Yuri looked up and shook his head. "No thanks, I'm good."

Victor laughed and put his hand on the Omega's shoulder. "Come on, let's take a breather."

Yuri sighed. He honestly was just fine reading all day—that included memos. But he didn't hate the idea of a walk either. He finished reading the folder he was on and then they left the office for a nice stroll through one of the gardens.

"I can't believe all of the little things that it takes to run this place."

Victor nodded. "People think it's just the big decisions that I deal with, but my father always went through the details, and he taught me to do the same."

Yuri nodded. "Do you get the things from St. Petersburg too?"

"No," Victor said with a smile. "I trust that to Otabek. He'll keep me informed on most things with a weekly debrief, and if anything is big enough, he'll email me for my final answer, but usually he's got everything under control."

They turned into the garden and followed the rock path. It was still warm out, but the beginnings of fall were making themselves known. Trees were still green, with a few yellow leaves to be seen and the flowers from spring and summer were gone, giving way to the lush grass and calm serenity of the simple garden.

"How long did you study with your father before…" Yuri trailed off, he had been curious but he didn't exactly want to bring up too many bad memories either. With everything that he'd been going through for the past few months, it was hard to pin down his exact feelings for the fact that Victor and he had been linked since he was young, and in such a tragic way.

"Only a few years really. I remember going to the office with him when I was younger and staying at Yuuri's desk while he worked. And when I was old enough to get Yuuri, that's when I began really working with him."

"How long did you have Yuuri before…you had to take over?"

Victor smiled softly. He didn't mind the questions—it was actually a little surprising that Yuri hadn't asked them before. Sure they had discussed his past and his father and Yuri's past before, but these little details, these tiny little things that made up life had never been discussed.

"Yuri had come to live with me only a few months before the crash. Maybe three or four?" He said thinking back. "Though I had known him since he was very young."

Yuri looked questioningly at this and Victor elaborated.

"Well, Yuri comes from a line of Omegas. And my father had made an arrangement that if Yuri presented as an Omega, then I would take him as my mate. The Katsuki family is a very prominent family in Japan and both of our families liked the idea of a family bond."

Yuri shook his head trying to understand. How were the Katsuki's a prominent family if they were a long line of Omegas? Obviously there would have to be Alpha's or Beta's in order to keep the family going, but if the family was known to produce Omega's then why would they be prominent?

Of course he had met them while they were in Japan. And they did run the hot spring resort, but he hadn't noticed anything to hint at importance.

"I don't understand." He said after a moment of mauling the thoughts over in his mind. "If their family is known to sire Omegas, then how are they prominent?"

Victor grinned, amused. Yuri was clever, and well spoken and had bright ideas about the future for Omega rights, but he still had a lot to learn.

"Well, firstly, in Japan Omegas aren't seen the same way they are here. In Japan Omegas are more—precious. They're treated much better and seen as important and sacred. Alphas are still the top of the food chain, but Omegas are jewels that almost every Alpha would kill for. They're not as common over there as they are here, and therefore they're rare and treasured." Victor smiled as he remembered his father telling him these words when he was young. It had impacted his views on Omegas tremendously.

"And because they're rare and so precious to the culture of Japan, any family who is known for producing Omegas is typically treated with respect. They believe that a child's presentation is based on God's favor. A family known for Alpha's is in favor with God, but Omegas—" He trailed off and shook his head with a smile.

"But Omegas are still sold away from home." Yuri said softly.

Victor nodded. "Yes, but at a much higher cost than over here. It's seen as an honor to be able to provide comfort for your family by being married off. And Alpha's pay good money for Omegas in Japan. Locals and foreigners alike."

"So…what? Yuuri's family is rich? So your father wanted his dowry?"

Victor shook his head. "No. Yuuri's family is rich, that's for sure, but that's not quite the reason we were matched. His family is powerful in Japan. They don't rule exactly, but they are very influential and seen as wise and revered. A powerful ally like that Katsuki family is nothing to sneer at. And my family is much the same. We're not the end all be all when it comes to ruling, but my family members are placed in powerful seats in the government. The idea is, if there's every something that Russia were to need from Japan, then it would be as simple as a Nikiforov asking a Katsuki. And visa versa."

Yuri took in a puff of breath and held it for a moment before releasing it. "So—you married for power?"

Victor shrugged. "I don't really think I had a choice in the matter—or a clear understanding of what was going on. I was 14 when we were actually married."

Yuri furrowed his brow. He didn't like the idea that they had been in a power hungry arranged marriage. But he supposed it didn't really matter now. They loved each other and were happy. And luckily it seemed that both Victor and Yuuri were kind and fair.

"Are you like—the head of your family then?"

Victor laughed. "Are we in the middle ages or something?"

Yuri smacked his arm. "Well you're over here talking about power and arranged marriages and ruling and shit!"

Victor continued to laugh but shook his head. "No. There's no real 'head' of my family. We're so large and have so many cousins and aunts and uncles and brothers and sisters. I'm the Head of our family though." He said wrapping his arm casually over the Omega's shoulders.

Yuri barked out a laugh. "That's what you think." He mumbled. And Victor laughed again.

They continued through the garden for another few minutes before heading back toward the House.

"Does that mean that Niki is like—super powerful?"

Victor grinned again. He had a feeling Yuri was going to ask if Niki were a Prince, but changed his mind at the last minute for fear of being teased again.

"Yes and no. In Japan, he would be given a place of honor. He's from a prominent Japanese family and a good Russian family as well. No matter what he presents as, he'd be a good match. He comes from wealth and power and will be well educated and well bred. But here things are a little less formal. He'll still be wealthy and from a powerful family, but if he were to say, be very cruel then he wouldn't get very far."

"Well say he's kind like you." Yuri prompted.

"He has many opportunities open to him." Victor said softly. "He'll be able to go into any field he wants to. And getting into those fields will be easy because of his family. Though we're not so open minded as a country yet to allow Omegas to have seats of power, even if he were to present as an Omega, he'd have a pretty easy to deal with life."

Yuri thought for a moment. He'd never considered what would happen to Niki if he presented as an Omega.

"How would he be raised if he did present as an Omega?"

Victor smiled. "He'll be taught here, obviously. Raised as a well Kept Omega and educated on most everything. We'd spend his early years scouting around to find a decent Alpha for him, and when we found them he'd be married."

Yuri looked at Victor for a long moment. "And you'd never see him again." It was a statement, not a question.

Victor smiled sadly. "I don't know. If he married from this country, then likely no. But there are a lot of countries where it's not unheard of for an Omega to keep in touch with his family."

"What does Yuuri think of marrying Niki off to some Alpha family?" Yuri asked a little harshly.

Victor stopped and looked at him with an amused grin. "Well, we wouldn't have a choice, would we? Our thoughts on the matter don't really hold any weight."

"Well why couldn't he be married to some idiot Alpha who you could control? Like, some poor Alpha who needs a job. You could marry Niki to them, and have them work here with you."

Victor eyed Yuri for a moment. Honestly he'd not given the idea of Niki being an Omega much thought. In all likelihood Niki was going to be a Beta. He came from two strong lines, one Omega and one Alpha. They'd likely cancel each other out. But there was always the possibility that he'd be an Omega. And the idea of marrying him to someone who'd be easily melted into their family rather than the other way around—did sound nice.

"That's not a terrible idea." Victor said smoothly.

Yuri grinned. "I tend to have 'not terrible' ideas a lot these days."

Victor laughed and put his arm around Yuri's waist as they walked back up to the House. "We'll talk about it some other time. He won't be presenting anytime soon so we have time to figure out his future."

/

In the following weeks, they all fell into a comforting routine. Every weekday morning they'd all wake up early and have breakfast in their room. Yuri and Victor would get dressed and head down to the office while Yuuri would go to the nursery and then to a lecture.

On 'memo days' Yuri and Victor would breeze through the memos like they were nothing; discussing most of the issues in length before coming to an agreed upon course of action, together. On 'meeting days' Yuri would sit at the corner desk and pay attention to whatever was being presented to Victor. Victor had taken to putting his guests off by asking them to step outside while he looked over his options. During this time, he'd look to Yuri to see his opinion.

Honestly it was a little nerve-wracking at first, but Yuri soon realized that Victor wasn't putting it all on his shoulders. Sometimes it was just nice for the Alpha to learn what Yuri got out of the meeting, sometimes he just wanted his opinion and others he honestly needed to discuss it. Yuri took to the work like a fish to water and Victor had never been so proud to have such a business minded Omega.

Yuri's ideas and opinions were well thought out, easy to explain and typically wise. Victor once became so overcome with pride and elation at Yuri's break though fix to an ongoing issue, that he bent the Omega over the desk and fucked him clean through three orgasms.

Yuuri had been furious that he'd missed such a display and now they had a rule that if any two were—enjoying each other, that they had to at least text the third so that they would have a chance to come be part of it.

Their routine was pretty stable, but still likely to change. Victor's day was always spent in his office, but sometimes Yuri would decide to sit in on a lecture with Yuuri instead, just out of curiosity. Those days were spent much like his days in St. Petersburg. They'd go to the classroom, he'd listen while Yuuri lectured, they'd both answer questions and speak about things they knew. Often on those days, Victor would walk down to whatever classroom they were in, for lunch. And the Alpha would practically pry them apart from each other to force them to eat.

And sometimes Yuri would just stay and read all day. He'd go down to the gardens or go to the library or just stay in bed.

It was a nice life. So different from what he was used to from St. Petersburg.

He was spending the day reading when he got a text from Victor asking him to come down to the office as soon as possible.

Usually those texts meant that Victor needed his help calming down a new Omega or really wanted his opinion on something. So he put his book down immediately and hurried down the stairs to the office. Zakhar was standing outside of the door and Yuri waved at him as he approached.

"Is it a new Omega?" Yuri asked when he was within speaking range.

Zakhar shook his head. "No—you'd better go in." The old man said gruffly.

Yuri gave him a confused look before opening the door and stepping inside.

His senses were immediately overcome with desire as he smelled the sweet candy-like scent of Yuuri pouring over him.

He rushed over quickly and pressed his nose to Yuuri's neck, inhaling the scent like a drug and then sighing happily as it filled him. Yuuri was standing next to Victor's desk, Victor sitting on the corner. The older Omega wrapped his arm around Yuri's waist and pulled him closer as the younger Omega continued to inhale happily.

"Can't you call Otabek and see if he can take care of things for you?" Yuuri said softly, petting Yuri's hair.

Victor nodded. "Yes, that's a good idea. I think their new Omega has just finished with his Heat, so it may be a bit much for him, but he'll be okay."

Yuri perked up at the mention of their new Omega. He had a vague memory of Otabek talking about JJ falling for an underage Omega right before he came to Japan.

"What new Omega?" He asked quickly before shoving his nose back to Yuuri's scent gland.

Victor grinned. "A little piece of jailbait named Minami. He's too young to be in a pack, but JJ was head over heels and technically he's not underage if he's presented so—" Victor trailed off and raised his hands in a 'it is what it is' gesture.

Yuri pulled away from Yuuri slowly and stared at Victor.

"Minami? Like—little Minami?" He asked dumbfounded. "Wait, you're saying that JJ and—Minami?!"

Yuuri laughed. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No." Yuri said immediately, still in shock. "I just—I guess it makes sense now…all of the weird conversations JJ and Otabek were having…it was about Minami…"

Victor chuckled and shook his head. "Anyway, I'm sure Otabek will be up to watching over the House accounts for a week or two."

"What's going on for a week or two?" Yuri asked, still pressed closely to Yuuri but also still a little in shock as to Minami's fate.

They both looked at him a little disbelieving and after a long moment of silence it hit him.

"That's why you smell so good!" He exclaimed loudly. "You're in Pre-Heat!"


End file.
